Searching for the Silures

The Silures, the Iron Age tribe of south-east Wales, are described by Roman sources as among the most implacable foes of Roman expansion. The remarkable Silurian War, a protracted and surprisingly successful guerrilla campaign, saw the advancing legions kept at bay for a quarter of a century. In this important new book, Dr Ray Howell examines our current knowledge of these fascinating but enigmatic people. The Silures emerge as a resilient and sophisticated clan-based tribal confederation. Their martial traditions, reflected in their material culture including artefacts such as the red enamelled trappings of their chariots, found expression in their remarkable resistance to Roman seizure of their lands. Elements of their traditions survived the extended period of occupation which followed the Roman conquest to be reasserted in post-Roman south-east Wales.