Editing Cardiff Castle (section)

===1st–4th centuries AD===
{{Main|Cardiff Roman Fort}}

[[File:Cardiff Castle - Duke Street, Cardiff (18878876084).jpg|thumb|left|Parts of the original Roman fort beneath the red stones on the southern wall]]

The future site of Cardiff Castle was first used by the Romans as a defensive location for many years.<ref>{{harvnb|Webster|1981|p=201}}</ref> The first fort was probably built about AD&nbsp;55 and occupied until AD 80.<ref>{{harvnb|Webster|1981|pp=203–205}}</ref> It was a rectangular structure much larger than the current site, and formed part of the southern Roman border in Wales during the conquest of the Silures.<ref>{{harvnb|Webster|1981|pp=203–205}}; {{harvnb|Grant|1923|p=10}}</ref> When the border advanced, defences became less important and the fort was replaced with a sequence of two, much smaller, fortifications on the north side of the current site.<ref>{{harvnb|Webster|1981|pp=205–207}}</ref>

A fourth fort was built in the middle of the 3rd century in order to combat the pirate threat along the coast, and forms the basis of the Roman remains seen on the castle site.<ref>{{harvnb|Webster|1981|p=207}}; {{harvnb|Pettifer|2000|p=87}}</ref> The fort was almost square in design, approximately {{convert|635|ft}} by {{convert|603|ft}} large, constructed from [[limestone]] brought by sea from [[Penarth]].<ref name="Grant 1923 13–14">{{harvnb|Grant|1923|pp=13–14}}</ref> The fort's irregular shape was determined by the [[River Taff]] that flowed along the west side of the walls.<ref name="Grant 1923 13">{{harvnb|Grant|1923|p=13}}</ref> The sea would have come much closer to the site than is the case in the 21st century, and the fort would have directly overlooked the harbour.<ref name="Grant 1923 13–14"/> This Roman fort was probably occupied at least until the end of the 4th century, but it is unclear when it was finally abandoned.<ref name=Webster1981P208>{{harvnb|Webster|1981|p=208}}</ref> There is no evidence for the re-occupation of the site until the 11th century.<ref name=Webster1981P208/>