Possible 'mega' fort found in Wales hints at tension between Romans and Celtics

The remains of a possible Roman "mega" fort that would have housed hundreds of soldiers have been unearthed under a tract of farmland in Wales. The new finding could offer evidence that this region was more fortified than previously thought.

Mark Merrony — a local archaeologist and the editor-in-chief of Antiqvvs, an online Archaeology and History magazine — discovered the remnants of the fort in Pembrokeshire, a county in southwest Wales, according to his GoFundMe page.

"I had been tracing what I thought was a Roman road for years," Merrony told Live Science. "I've cycled this road numerous times and always wondered why it ended. You can look at something 500 times and not see anything. But then I had a eureka moment."

To solve the mystery, he spoke to the owner of the farm, who supported Merrony's suspicions that the overgrown fields were hiding what was left of Roman structures. The farmer explained that he struggled to grow anything in the soil, since it was "full of slate and stone," The Guardian reported.

Exploration of the site suggested that the possible fort measured roughly 607 by 509 feet (185 by 155 meters) and would have included multiple buildings. It may date to sometime between the first and third centuries, Merrony said, and it's strategically placed on a slope and would have allowed soldiers to monitor the river valley below.

Related: Items used by Roman cavalry and other treasures unearthed by metal detectorist in Wales

The site's layout has the "hallmarks of a classic Roman fort" and is shaped like a "playing card," with rounded corners, and is surrounded by banks and ditches, according to the GoFundMe page.