Archaeologists Digging Under Playing Fields in Wales Find Ancient Burial Ground Dating Back to the New Bronze Age
A Bronze-era finding has been discovered in the United Kingdom by the team of volunteers at a heritage project excavation. They uncovered an ancient burial ground underneath playing fields in Cardiff, according to the BBC. Volunteers have detected many burial pits in these playing fields, and, in around three of them, they spotted some amount of cremated human remains. Further examinations revealed that the remains dated back to the Bronze Age. Based on other ancient structures found around the burial ground, researchers speculate that the place might have held ritual significance for people living in the area.
Importance of the Burial Pit
Volunteers associated with the Caerau and Ely Rediscovering (CAER) Heritage Project at Trelai Park near Caerau Hillfort conducted the excavations for the burial ground. Alongside the burial pit, the team also spotted an ancient roundhouse, which is the earliest known house ever built in Cardiff, per the researchers. Based on the closeness of the roundhouse and burial ground, experts speculated that the cremated people buried alongside could be individuals who lived in that house.
Dr Oliver Davis, CAER Heritage Project co-director, claimed that the cremated individuals may have been cherished family members of the roundhouse's living inhabitants, and hence were buried close to the residence. The place held ceremonial value for the residents and possibly the community at large, as burial rituals could have been facilitated at the site for the beloved individuals.
Other Discoveries at the Site
Researchers have detected a new structure next to the roundhouse, according to Phys. The burial pits are alongside the foundations of this new establishment. "The smaller structure we have found sits very near to the original roundhouses we discovered in 2023; these structures were luxurious and spacious. This smaller structure could be an additional house for another family, or maybe an ancillary building used for preparing food and craft-working," Davis said. The team also found a timber circle in the area, which they believe was made in the Early Bronze Age, around 2000–1600 BC. All of these discoveries suggest that the site is possibly more expansive than what experts previously believed. Archaeologists are now looking forward to piecing together the different findings in the area and figuring out how they contributed to the ancient society.
Prominence of the Site
Trelai Park has always been a crucial place for experts from an archaeological perspective. Experts have discovered items belonging to the Roman, Medieval, Iron Age, and Neolithic Ages from the site. All of which indicated that the area remained an important place for human societies across centuries. "The finds from Trelai Park just keep coming. When you piece these latest discoveries with the Roman Villa that's a short walk away and the more recent sporting history here, it's not difficult to argue that Trelai could be one of the most important parks for heritage in South Wales. It really has all the potential to be a popular and thriving tourist attraction which could hugely benefit the local communities," CAER co-director Dr. David Wyatt said.
Further exploration gave experts insights into Cardiff residents who stayed here over three millennia ago. Now the team will dig through each layer at the site carefully to differentiate the findings from each period and make correct assertions. The place has such a rich history that the team is finding new things on an hourly basis, making their work more exhaustive.