Caerleon Roman Ampitheatre

I slept well and again struggled to get out of bed. The wife had gone to work but left a note that she wanted the bottom of the living room door re-planed as it was touching the carpet! :(

Early afternoon, I headed for Caerleon which is 20 minutes away from us, to get an aerial shot. I'd seen a documentary during the week and it gave me the idea. I'd tried 'a normal' photo last year but you can't get a feel for the size. That's where aerial photography comes in handy!  Here's a history of one of the most important Roman sites in the UK!

Caerleon is a suburban village and situated on the River Usk in the northern outskirts of the city of Newport, South Wales. Caerleon is the site of a notable Roman legionary fortress, Isca Augusta and an Iron Age Hillfort. In AD75, Roman settlers built the mighty fortress of Isca Augusta in present-day Caerleon. One of only three permanent fortresses in Roman Britain, it housed a 5000-strong force and defended the furthest outpost of their empire for two centuries

The Wales National Roman Legionary Museum and Roman Baths museum are in Caerleon close to the remains of Isca Augusta. Caerleon  was the headquarters for Legio 11 Augusta from about 75 to 300 AD, The Romans called the site Isca after the River Usk.

The name Caerleon may derive from the Welsh for "fortress of the legion"; around 800 AD it was referred to as Cair Legeion guar Uisc.

The remains of 75 Ampitheatres have been discovered throughout the Roman Empire but the Caerleon one is the best preserved in the UK. In 1926, thanks to sponsorship by The Daily Mirror, 30,000 tons of soil were removed to uncover the ampitheatre.The building of the amphitheatre started in AD 90 outside the fortress walls, and it remains an impressive sight today.
A timber grandstand would have seated some 6,000 and, standing in its centre, you can imagine the sights and sounds and the baying crowds. It could have been used for various games, military and religious festivals, or as a training or parade ground.
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