This investigation into Silurian identity over time and the wider academic debates surrounding the multiple estate and Celticity consists of an introduction, four chapters and study conclusion supported by appendices. The study places emphasis on patterns of long-term cultural continuity and their relationship with Gwent. These are drawn from a variety of sources derived from material culture, other evidence of land management strategies, the comments of Classical authors, later medieval documents and secondary interpretations over time to the present.
Whether certain ancient British communities could be termed Celtic or not has been an ongoing debate since data appeared which challenged older interpretations from at least the 1950s onwards. The literature demonstrates that British Iron Age and early medieval studies continually redefines itself as new evidence emerges. This study is related to this debate as it attempts to determine if Gwent could be considered Celtic or not, and one consequence of ongoing discussion means that subsequent studies of this period must engage with this question.
The data provided by earlier research suggests that defining Gwent as Celtic is possible, and that its landscape was managed through multiple estates provides a starting point. However, when combined with newer evidence and analysis, a picture of Siluria and the Silures from the earliest Iron Age until the coming of the Normans emerges which suggests, with caveats that both should probably be considered so.