Volunteers uncover ‘hugely exciting' burial site underneath Welsh park
Volunteer archaeologists have uncovered a Bronze Age burial site underneath a popular park in Wales.
A number of pits were discovered during an archaeological dig at Trelai Park in Cardiff, with a small amount of human remains being found in three of them.
The cremations are believed to date back to the Bronze Age, and were found next to a 1500 BC roundhouse that was found at the site two years ago.
Experts believe the closeness of the remains suggests the site held 'significance' to those who lived there at the time, and that cherished family members may have been buried there.
Volunteers for the Caerau and Ely Rediscovering (CAER) Heritage Project are now working to piece together the significance of the latest finds, which suggest the site could be more expansive than previously thought.
'The discovery of these cremations is hugely exciting and is yet another example of the rich history that lies so well preserved under Trelai Park,' CAER co-director Dr Oliver Davis, head of archaeology and conservation at the University of Cardiff, which is a partner in the project, said.
'The fact that the cremations have been buried so close to the roundhouse suggests they may have been laid there to remember cherished family members. It could also mean the site held a ceremonial significance to people at the time.'
He added: 'This area, which we already knew was only 200 metres away from a Roman Villa, has clearly been an important place over thousands of years. It's providing us with a window onto some of the very earliest Cardiff residents who were living here in Caerau and Ely over three millennia ago.
'The work now begins to carefully dig through each layer, sifting through the materials we are finding here on an hourly basis. It's a real team effort.'
Trelai Park is a well-used location for sports teams and dog walkers. It is half a mile from Caerau Hillfort, a heritage site of national significance where Neolithic, Iron Age, Roman and medieval finds have previously been discovered.
Alice Clarke, 36, who lives in Caerau, has been volunteering with the CAER Project for five years and said: 'It's really fascinating. We've found a lot of quartz here so far. I will also work at the CAER Heritage Centre after the dig, cleaning all the finds that come in big bags. I love doing it. It's given me confidence – it's nice to get out and meet friends.'
Another of the volunteers, 19-year-old Hannah Secker, has just finished her A Levels and wants to study archaeology and ancient history at degree level.
She said: 'There is quite an exciting atmosphere here and everyone has been so welcoming. I had no archaeological experience before coming here, and it's been great to speak to students about their degrees. It's unbelievable finding artefacts that could be 3,000 years old and thinking about the people that have walked on this ground before us.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Lost 2,400-year-old city uncovered by archaeologists with multi-storey buildings and temple dedicated to cobra goddess
A ONCE bustling city with multi-storey tower houses and a cobra goddess temple built 2,400 years ago has been discovered by archaeologists. The densely built city dates back to the 4th century BCE - and even used to have a thriving local economy and religious traditions, researchers said. 5 5 5 Buried under modern day Tell el-Fara'in, Egypt, state-of-the-art technology has been used to uncover the ancient city of Imet. Boffins from the University of Manchester and the University of Sadat City in Cairo made the groundbreaking discovery in the African nation's Nile Delta. A team of archaeologists led by Dr. Nicky Nielsen excavated an array of extraordinary artefacts - which point to the location's booming economy and religious practice. The team said: "The University of Manchester is bringing the ancient Delta back one discovery at a time." They said locating the forgotten city of Imet allowed them to have a greater understanding of "daily life, spirituality, and urban planning in the Delta". The incredible city dates back to the Late Period in Egypt - the final era of Egyptian rule which was killed off by Alexander the Great's conquest. Archaeologists used remote sensing including high-resolution satellite imagery. They first detected ancient mudbricks, which led them to discover 'dense architectural remains'. These included multi-storey buildings with "exceptionally thick foundation walls". The team dubbed these "tower houses". The 4th-century Egyptians are understood to have built them to accommodate their soaring population. Imet, as well as the Delta region, became an urban center, the scientists said following their breakthrough finding. Leading researcher Dr Nielsen said: "These tower houses are mainly found in the Nile Delta between the Late Period and the Roman era, and are rare elsewhere in Egypt. "Their presence here shows that Imet was a thriving and densely built city with a complex urban infrastructure." In another shocking revelation, the scientists also discovered a large building dating to the mid-Ptolemaic Period - even older than the Late Period. This fascinating find meant that the city may have had even more ancient roots. The building, which is understood to be older than the rest of the city, had a limestone plaster floor and massive pilars. It was also built across a processional road that connected it to a temple dedicated to the city's patron deity, Wadjet, the cobra goddess. But it was abandoned around the mid-Ptolemaic era, sparking theories that religious beliefs may have changed at the time, the experts said. Archaeologists also uncovered a grain-processing area and animal pens - proof that Imet had a developed local economy and religious traditions. And they found artefacts which supported the idea that the Delta centre was once a thriving Ancient Egyptian community. Their most prized discoveries included a green faience ushabti from the 26 th Dynasty, a stela of the god Harpocrates with protective iconography, and a bronze sistrum adorned with the twin heads of Hathor, goddess of music and joy. These finds have helped experts piece together one of Ancient Egypt's long-lost cities - shining new light on the empire's final days. 5
The Independent
a day ago
- The Independent
New ancient discovery unearthed at popular dog walking spot
Volunteer archaeologists uncovered a Bronze Age burial site at Trelai Park in Cardiff, Wales. Human remains, believed to be cremations from the Bronze Age, were found in three pits during an archaeological dig. The cremations were discovered next to a 1500 BC roundhouse previously found at the site. Experts suggest the proximity of the remains indicates the site held significant ceremonial importance or was a burial ground for cherished family members. The discovery highlights the rich history of Trelai Park, suggesting it has been an important location for thousands of years.
BBC News
2 days ago
- BBC News
World's oldest boomerang, doesn't come back when thrown!
The world's oldest boomerang is even older than we thought, and is being studied by scientists to learn more about how ancient humans curved boomerang is made from Mammoth tusk and was found in the Oblazowa Cave in Poland in in 1996 originally thought the bone could be around 30,000 years old, but after studying it again, the new team of scientists say it is actually even older - around 40,000 years old."It's the oldest boomerang in the world, and the only one in the world made of this shape and this long to be found in Poland," said Dr Sahra Talamo from the University of Bologna, in that it gives a "remarkable insight" into human behaviour. From studying it's shape, the scientists figured out that it would have flown when thrown, but not return to the person throwing than being used as a toy like today, the team figured out that it was likely used as a tool for hunting, or as part of an ancient ritual, or a piece of looking at marks on the handle, the team were also able to learn that the boomerang once belonged to someone who was boomerangs are generally associated with Aboriginal culture in oldest known boomerang from Australia dates to about 10,500 years ago, and was made from the oldest images of boomerangs in Australia are rock art paintings that are 20,000 years old, according to National Museum Australia.
