Several Roman authors including Pliny, Ptolemy and Tacitus mention this tribe and later Civitas (administrative unit in a Roman province).

 Their territory was south east Wales - the Brecon Beacons and south Welsh valleys.

 These were the people of the mountains and valleys, we know relatively little about how they lived.

Like the other tribes of the Welsh Mountains, they were difficult for the Romans to conquer and control.

 For a time in the period around AD 45-57, they led the British opposition to the Roman advance westwards.

Tacitus described them as a strong and warlike nation, and for ten years or more the Romans fought to contain, rather than conquer them.

 Although defeated and occupied by the early 60's, their bitter resistance may explain the late grant of self governing civitas status to them only in the early 2nd century.

 The capital was established at a previously unoccupied site at Caerwent and was given the name ‘Venta Silrum’.

 Tacitus described them as swarthy and curly-haired, and suggested their ancestors might be from Spain because of the similarities in appearance with some peoples in Spain.

However, there is no evidence to suggest any genetic links between south Wales and parts of Spain.