Unusual archaeological discovery in Wales, where a early medieval cemetery with well-preserved skeletons and unexpected artifacts. The BBC broadcaster reports on the ongoing excavation and the mysteries surrounding the hitherto unknown site. The important find was located under a thin layer of soil, in the grounds of Fonmon Castle, near Cardiff airport. So far, 18 of the estimated 70 graves have been excavated, in which well-preserved skeletons were found, placed in unusual positions.
Further research is needed to get a more precise date on when the cemetery was in use, e.g DNA analysis of the bones will reveal more information about the skeletons buried there. Archaeologists and experts are amazed by some unexpected and enigmatic pieces of evidence, such as the excellent state of preservation of skeletons, despite the rocky site dating back to the 6th or 7th century. They have already detected valuable clues about how these people lived and worked.
“We have some teeth that are very worn in a strange way, which could indicate use of the teeth as tools. Maybe from textile work, leather work or wickerwork – they are pulling something between the front teeth,” commented Summer Courts, osteo archaeologist at the University of Reading. The other puzzle is the placement of the skeletons: If some are lying on their backs, which is normal for the period, others are lying on their sides and some are buried in a crouched position with their knees bent against their chest.
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Archaeologists believe it may be a clue to the evolution of burial practices, over a rather long period of time, or that some people were specifically marked as different. Equally surprising are the objects found around the tombs, which demonstrate how life was very different from today.
Fragments of plates and cups, splinters of bones from slaughtered and burned animals were found. One object in particular appears emblematic of the lifestyle of this community: a small carved peg, made from animal bones, which may have been used as a scorecard for a medieval game board, perhaps something similar to that of cribbage.
A tiny fragment of glass imported from France was also found in one of the tombs. For scholars, the most disconcerting thing, however, is that the artefacts discovered suggest that the buried people were anything but ordinary – indeed they may have been of high rank.
Among the most significant finds, the fragment of the edge of a very valuable glass container, presumably from the Bordeaux region, as well as pieces of ceramics, perhaps from North Africa. “The evidence we have here is that people had access to very high quality imported goods, which could only be obtained through trading or trading networks with people with a lot of wealth to bring them here,” assessed Tudur Davies, of Cardiff University .
In conclusion, Andy Seaman, a specialist in early medieval archeology at Cardiff University, who leads the excavation team, hypothesized that unlike current cemeteries, the one just discovered does not appear to be just a place to dispose of the dead. “We tend to think of cemeteries as sort of enclosed spaces that we don’t really go to, but they probably will have been quite central to life in the past,” Seaman explained.
Based on early evidence gathered at the site, he assesses that “it was not just a place where people were buried, but a place where communities came together: they buried their dead, but also undertook other forms of social activities and practices , including eating, drinking, playing and feasting.”