Archaeologists say the discovery of a 2,000-year-old port sheds new light on Wales' role in the Roman Empire.
A team from Cardiff University discovered the harbour outside the Roman fortress at Caerleon (Isca) during ongoing excavation work.
The remains are said to be well preserved and include the main quay wall, landing stages and wharves.
Excavation leader Dr Peter Guest said the port was a "major addition to the archaeology of Roman Britain".
Students using geophysical equipment, which can reveal outlines of buried structures, came across the remains of a site of large Roman buildings on the banks of the River Usk last year.
The buildings may have been market places, administrative buildings, bath houses and temples.
The excavation work, which also led to the discovery of the port, is said to have exceeded all expectations.
Dr Guest, senior lecturer in Roman archaeology at Cardiff University, said: "I think it's very important indeed for Caerleon because it allows us to see Caerleon in its immediate landscape so we now know there's this suburb of the fortress.
"Caerleon connected upstream with the hillier parts of Wales, and there were Roman forts at Abergavenny and Brecon, but if you go downstream you can go to Roman London but also the Loire Valley, the Bay of Biscay and the Mediterranean into the heart of the Roman world."
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| How the port outside the legionary fortress of Isca may have looked [Credit: BBC] |
The remains are said to be well preserved and include the main quay wall, landing stages and wharves.
Excavation leader Dr Peter Guest said the port was a "major addition to the archaeology of Roman Britain".
Students using geophysical equipment, which can reveal outlines of buried structures, came across the remains of a site of large Roman buildings on the banks of the River Usk last year.
The buildings may have been market places, administrative buildings, bath houses and temples.
The excavation work, which also led to the discovery of the port, is said to have exceeded all expectations.
Dr Guest, senior lecturer in Roman archaeology at Cardiff University, said: "I think it's very important indeed for Caerleon because it allows us to see Caerleon in its immediate landscape so we now know there's this suburb of the fortress.
"Caerleon connected upstream with the hillier parts of Wales, and there were Roman forts at Abergavenny and Brecon, but if you go downstream you can go to Roman London but also the Loire Valley, the Bay of Biscay and the Mediterranean into the heart of the Roman world."