Barry: Roman and medieval remains near Five Mile Road

Whitton Lodge, a Roman villa found along the A4226 Five mile lane near Barry

Roman and medieval artefacts described as "surprising" and "significant" have been found at the site of a new road.

Improvement work on Five Mile Lane near Barry, Vale of Glamorgan led to finds.

They include a Roman mercenary buried with his sword, Iron Age farming tools, ancient burial sites, and the remnants of roundhouses.

Three sites were fully excavated, with an academic report due to be published later this year.

Rubicon Heritage Services, an archaeology firm hired by Vale of Glamorgan council, said it was a "privilege" to make new discoveries about the archaeology and history of the area.

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• Hundreds of stone age tools found on housing site

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Human remains from the Medieval period were unearthed

Excavation work was carried out along both sides of Five Mile Road, from Weycock Cross in Barry to the A48 at Sycamore Cross.

The archaeology team were helped by the National Museum of Wales, Cardiff University, Cadw and the Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust.

Archaeologist also found a burial monument from the Bronze Age

After they are analysed and documented, the artefacts will be given to the National Museum of Wales.

Emma Reed, head of neighbourhood services and transport at the council, said: "The scheme has uncovered fascinating and at times surprising remains, that help us to understand the shaping of the agricultural landscape that we see today."

Examples of Roman pottery were among the objects found

Rubicon Heritage published an archaeological e-book on the digs between 2017-2019, which includes an interactive story map detailing their findings.

Mark Collard from Rubicon Heritage Services, said: "We're very pleased to be able now to share the results in such an accessible format with the communities of the area."

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