A New Archaeological Survey of Llanmelin Wood Hillfort, Caerwent

Survey in progress by Royal Commission Investigators at Llanmelin Wood hillfort, March 2015. Here GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) technology is used to gather highly accurate 3D data.

A new archaeological survey is in progress at the magnificent Llanmelin Wood Iron Age hillfort, which overlooks Caerwent Roman town in south-east Wales. The Royal Commission is working closely with Cadw to provide a new detailed survey and understanding of this important hillfort to underpin a programme of new management, access and interpretation.

In the early 1930s Llanmelin hillfort was the focus of intense activity. An original survey by Sir Mortimer Wheeler was improved by V. E. Nash-Williams who conducted three seasons of excavation between 1930-32. At the time the hillfort was thickly wooded with virtually no clear sight lines. Nash-Williams excavated many narrow excavation trenches and running sections to explore the hillfort. In 2012 a new community excavation led by Cadw with Archaeology Wales was carried out to recover better artefactual and dating evidence including evidence for occupation into the Romano-British period.

Over 80 years on from the original survey, archaeologists Louise Barker and Toby Driver have returned to make a new detailed record of the fort. This is a site where many questions remain. The main hillfort has massive defences like many in south Wales, but it is flanked by a rectangular annex divided into two main compounds and bounded by massive linear earthworks. The 1930s excavations produced two human skeletons on the peripheries of the annex, an incredibly rare find for any Welsh hillfort. Previous opinion has suggested the rectangular compounds were for keeping stock, but there are few entrances. Reappraisal of the site in the Gwent County History suggested Llanmelin may be a late Iron Age oppidum with high status funerary enclosures – the annex - developed alongside the settlement.

Llanmelin hillfort from the air in 2011, AP_2011_1115.

The new survey has identified previously unknown parts of the hillfort defences, discovered traces of an early phase enclosure within the main hillfort and recorded evidence of alterations or rebuilds to the ramparts. It is also making an accurate record of all the 1930s trenches, documenting management issues like animal burrows and erosion, and shedding new light on all parts of this complex site. When complete this will provide a starting point for a fresh appraisal of one of the most important Iron Age hillforts in south-east Wales.

Louise Barker and Toby Driver
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Castell Grogwynion … Fort of the white … Ceramics?

The Early Mines Research Group supported by Sarahjayne Clements, CBA bursary holder, RCAHMW, and Keith Haylock, PHD Researcher, Geography Department, University of Aberystwyth, excavating Castell Grogwynion Hillfort.

A small excavation was undertaken at the Iron Age hillfort Castell Grogwynion last week in an attempt to identify a potential Iron Age metal working site located on the northern terrace of the fort. Early mines are fairly elusive archaeologically and searching for them has been the focus of over twenty years’ research by the Early Mines Research Group. Evidence of Iron Age metal working is particularly rare in Ceredigion, despite the importance raw materials evidently held for Iron Age material culture.

Aerial Photograph of the Iron Age hillfort, Castell Grogwynion.

The excavation at Castell Grogwynion was the conclusion of a series of surveys conducted on three north Ceredigion hillforts, Castell Grogwynion, Darren Camp and Pen Dinas, for a research project by Keith Haylock at the Institute for Geography and Earth Sciences (IGES), Aberystwth University, in collaboration with The Royal Commission, and with permission from Cadw.

Using a special portable X-ray Fluorescence (pXRF) ‘gun’ Keith can find out what metals are present in the soils of the hillfort, with the aim of finding high concentrations of prehistoric metal working evidence. This equipment has revolutionised non-destructive archaeological identification of early mine areas, through the detection of metal slag and smelting activities.

Keith Haylock, operating pXRF survey.

The results of the Geophysical Survey taken in 2012. Areas of interest are highlighted with red, 1 = the area excavated.

Out of the three hillforts surveyed only Castell Grogwynion, in English “The fort of the white pebbles”, demonstrated high lead readings, which were focused on the terrace. Geophysical survey in 2012 by ArchaeoPhysica LTD further confirmed this concentration.

To test the nature and date of the lead concentration, Dr Simon Timberlake and the Early Mines Research Group, carried out a limited excavation on the terrace at Castell Grogwynion in early October.

The Early Mines Research Group excavating.

Some of the seventeenth or eighteenth-century pottery recovered at Castell Grogwynion.

Rather than an Iron Age smelting site, far more recent evidence of seventeenth or eighteenth-century lazy-bed cultivation was discovered with lead-glazed pottery and other domestic rubbish tipped into the soil. These findings confirmed that a nearby platform and cultivation terraces within the hillfort, first identified by Louise Barker during the new Royal Commission survey, were indeed the remains of a post-medieval upland cottage settlement.

Post Excavation Analysis.

Post medieval cottage settlements are fairly common in the Welsh landscape, however the structural evidence is rarely accompanied by any artifactual remains. Although Iron Age finds were limited to a single sling shot, it was exciting to discover the sheer quantity of pottery uncovered through the excavation, surprising in such a remote location. Further scanning the pottery with the XRF gun revealed the cause of the initial high metallic reading: the glazing of the pottery contained an unusually high lead content.  The leaching of the lead glaze into the soil was hypothesised to have been the most likely cause of the high metallic readings. The discovery of this pottery demonstrated the importance of XRF for archaeological survey ― it can detect vital and less structural remains including spoil heaps and rubbish dumps, where the most significant artifactual data is often recovered.

All in all it was great to be part of this excavation and watch the story of the Iron Age hillfort unfold and exciting to be part of such important research into the varied uses of new and powerful forms of archaeological remote sensing.
 

Kimberly Briscoe and Sarahjayne CBA Community Bursary Holders, RCAHMW, Castell Grogwynion.

By Kimberly Briscoe, Community Archaeology Placement Holder.


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Welsh drought brings Roman and Iron Age aerial discoveries across the country

Figure 1. A tip-off from a Roman expert studying coin finds in central Wales led to this stunning discovery of a previously unrecorded Roman fort complex, showing as fading cropmarks in fields of wheat near Brecon, Powys (Crown Copyright RCAHMW, 1st August 2013).

The long spell of hot summer weather across Wales has left aerial archaeologists reflecting on some of their most significant discoveries since 2006. A previously unrecorded Roman fort, a Roman marching camp and scores of Iron Age farmsteads and forts have been discovered by the Royal Commission as parched grassland and ripening fields of wheat showed the locations of long-lost monuments. Aerial surveys over Cardiff and Pembroke Castles revealed parchmarks of lost buildings inside these well-visited attractions, while discoveries were made from Wrexham to Pwllheli, and from Haverfordwest to Chepstow.

Aerial archaeologist Dr Toby Driver from the Royal Commission carefully targeted reconnaissance flights in a light aircraft to where the drought conditions were most severe across the length and breadth of Wales. When cropmarks show in drought conditions, the Royal Commission’s aerial survey programme only has a few weeks to record the sites before rain or harvest removes them.

By far the most significant discoveries for Wales have been from the Roman period with a major Roman fort complex discovered near Brecon, and a Roman marching camp discovered near Caerwent Roman town. The Roman fort near Brecon is a rare discovery for Wales and was made following a tip-off from Roman scholar Dr Jeffrey L. Davies, who has worked with Toby on the Abermagwr Roman villa excavations. Toby explained:

‘Jeffrey Davies noticed an anomaly in Roman coin finds near Brecon, reported under the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS). He had a hunch that the coins, of the Emperor Claudius, could indicate a lost early Roman fort, and passed a grid reference to me the day before a flight into central Wales. I couldn’t believe my eyes when the pilot and I approached the location and saw fading cropmarks of a major Roman fort complex, lost beneath fields and a road for nearly 2,000 years.’

Other discoveries were made near Caerwent Roman town in south Wales, famously the market town of the Celtic Silures. Toby explained: ‘Close to Caerwent we discovered only the second Roman marching camp in Monmouthshire. These were overnight camps built by Roman soldiers on campaign in hostile territory. Because the campaigns against the tenacious Silures were documented by Roman historians, we expect more camps in south-east Wales than we currently know about. This new camp between Caerwent and Chepstow seems to show a small expeditionary force on manoeuvres, perhaps in the years around AD 50. West of Caerwent we found a remarkable ‘native’ Iron Age settlement. Given the decades of aerial survey in the region around Caerwent, these surprise discoveries show the continuing need for aerial archaeology in Wales.’

Figure 2. A rare discovery: only the second Roman marching camp in Monmouthshire, found between Caerwent and Chepstow, provides new evidence for the famous Roman campaigns against the Silures of south-east Wales. The characteristic ‘playing card’ shape of the camp shows as a cropmark in a ripening field of wheat, and an adjacent field of parched grass (Crown Copyright RCAHMW, 22nd July 2013).

Other discoveries made in the drought include one of the largest and most complex Iron Age defended farms in Pembrokeshire, on Conkland Hill, Wiston, as well as scores of newly recorded Iron Age farms and forts across south Pembrokeshire and in the Vale of Glamorgan, with two discovered close to the well-known Roman villa at Caermead, Llantwit Major. The archival work for the Royal Commission now begins, to catalogue and map the many discoveries and make the information more widely available to the public on its online database www.coflein.gov.uk


Learn more about aerial archaeology in Wales from the recent Royal Commission publication ‘Cymru Hanesyddol o'r Awyr / Historic Wales From the Air’ (RCAHMW 2012, £19.95) Dr Toby Driver, RCAHMW

How ‘cropmarks’  show lost archaeological sites

‘Cropmarks’ are revealed when grass and arable crops are put under drought stress, and they respond to subtle differences in moisture in the subsoil. Where crops are growing over the buried ditches of lost hillforts or prehistoric farms dark green lines form in fields; conversely buried stonework of lost buildings or old roads form yellow lines in grass and crops. These cropmarks can be seen most clearly from the air, but have to be photographed in a short time window before rain or harvest makes them disappear.
 

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Festival of Archaeology at the Royal Commission 2013

Family fun at the Royal Commission stand

This year’s Festival of Archaeology got off to a great start on Saturday, 13 July, with two Royal Commission events in Penparcau. Throughout the afternoon, visitors flocked to the Penparcau Fête marking the 60th anniversary of Llwyn yr Eos primary school and organised by Penparcau Community Forum. While many children enjoyed special activities at the Royal Commission stand, older residents told their stories and brought old photographs to the People’s Collection Wales officers.

Residents from Penparcau enjoying some of the People's Collection Wales' photographic images of  the Silver Jubilee celebrations, 1977

 Meanwhile a group of intrepid enthusiasts braved the current heat wave to tackle the slopes of Pen Dinas hillfort under the expert guidance of Dr Toby Driver, reaching the summit to enjoy the cool sea breeze and breathtaking views.

Intrepid enthusiasts approach the summit of Pen Dinas hillfort, NPRN:92236

A breathtaking view to behold for all!

Later in the week, as another Festival of Archaeology event, the Royal Commission will be hosting an evening reception and presentation on the life and work of Falcon Hildred, the Blaenau Ffestiniog-based industrial landscape artist. Here, at the Commission’s offices in Aberystwyth, on Wednesday 17 July 6―8pm, there will be an opportunity to view original drawings and an exhibition, and enjoy a talk by Dr Peter Wakelin, Secretary of the Royal Commission on Worktown: The Drawings of Falcon Hildred. Light summer refreshments will be provided and the evening is open to all.

Two views of Pant-yr-ynn Mill  (NPRN: 28620) as drawn by Falcon Hildred

For details on other Royal Commission events for the Festival of Archaeology, please visit our web page.

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A Guided Walk Of Pen Dinas: An Iron Age Stronghold On Cardigan Bay

Pen Dinas: An Iron Age Stronghold on Cardigan Bay
Guided walk led by Royal Commission archaeologist and aerial photographer, Dr Toby Driver.

Saturday 13 July 2013, 2pm-4pm

Step back over 2,000 years to discover the prehistoric origins of Aberystwyth with a guided walk up the largest Iron Age hillfort on Cardigan Bay. Discover the homes of the Celts, and the prehistoric engineering behind gateways and ramparts on this commanding coastal hill.

Meet at Neuadd Goffa car park, Penparcau, Aberystwyth, SY23 1RZ.The walk is reasonably strenuous so good footwear and outdoor clothing is required.

The event is free and everyone is welcome!

For further details contact the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales
Telephone: 01970 621200 | e-mail: nmr.wales@rcahmw.gov.uk

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New Light On The Iron Age Hillforts Of North Ceredigion, Mid Wales

Announcing a new book published by Archaeopress, Oxford, in collaboration with the Royal Commission, Wales.

The Iron Age hillforts of north Ceredigion (Cardiganshire), mid Wales, are among the most striking and interesting fortifications of pre-Roman Wales. A new book by Dr Toby Driver, of the Aberystwyth-based Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales, examines their architecture and landscape settings, to bring a new understanding of the Iron Age communities who occupied this part of mid Wales in the last centuries before the Roman conquest.

Dr Driver explained: ‘This is the first detailed study of the Iron Age hillforts of north Ceredigion since Volume 1 of the Cardiganshire County History published in 1994, and we have made enormous progress since that time in understanding these incredible structures. In their heyday Iron Age hillforts were the most modern and complex buildings Wales had seen. Those which were built in mid Wales are among the most interesting in western Britain.’

Darren Camp hillfort north Ceredigion  AP_2012_1436 - Crown Copyright RCAHMW

This new study examines the dating, architecture and landscape settings of the north Ceredigion hillforts, and also discusses how cultural contact with people living in central Wales and along the Welsh Borders may have fostered new ideas of regional identity and hillfort design.

Dr Driver continued: ‘Some of the largest north Ceredigion hillforts, like Pen Dinas above Aberystwyth, are phenomenal engineering achievements, requiring the excavation of tons of rock and the construction of high walls and gate towers. I hope this new book brings the region’s great hillforts, and the considerable achievements of our prehistoric ancestors, to wider attention.’

With over 200 black and white illustrations, this new book in the Archaeopress series of British Archaeological Reports is a detailed account which showcases the hillforts of north Ceredigion for the first time.

‘Architecture, Regional Identity and Power in the Iron Age Landscapes of Mid Wales - The Hillforts of North Ceredigion’. British Archaeological Report 583. Is available from Archaeopress, Oxford and the Royal Commission.

181 pages. Over 200 illustrations in black and white.
ISBN 9781407311234. £33.00


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