Llyn Cerrig Bach
Encyclopedia
Llyn Cerrig Bach is a small lake in the north-west of the island of Anglesey
, Wales
. Its main claim to fame is the large hoard of Iron Age
materials discovered there in 1942, apparently placed in the lake as votive offering
s. These finds are considered to be one of the most important collections of La Tène
metalwork discovered in the British Isles
.
The discovery was made when ground was being cleared for an R.A.F.
base at Valley
. This involved spreading peat
over the sandy ground, and the items were discovered during the extraction of peat from the Cors yr Ynys bog on the southern margin of Llyn Cerrig Bach. The first object to be found was an iron gang chain, used for slaves. This was caught up in the teeth of a harrow and was not at first identified as being ancient. It was attached to a tractor and used to pull lorries out of the mud. Although around 2,000 years old, the chain apparently performed this function without problems.
Once the chain had been identified, a search of the area produced a large number of other objects, mainly of iron but some of bronze
or copper alloy. A total of 181 artefacts are known to have been recovered. They included sword
s and spearheads, shield
s, chariot
s and chariot fittings and harness, another slave chain and various iron tools. There were also some plain bars of iron, which may have been used as currency. The slave chain was made with five hinged neck-rings to hold five captives.
Many of these items had been deliberately broken and are thought to have been placed in the lake as votive offerings. Some of the items appear to have been of local manufacture, a few were manufactured in Ireland
, but a great many originate from southern England
, suggesting that the fame of Llyn Cerrig Bach as a holy site may have spread well beyond the immediate area. However it is also possible that this was plunder captured in warfare by the local tribes. The items date from the 2nd century BC to around the period of the Roman
invasion.
When Roman forces under Caius Suetonius Paulinus captured the island of Anglesey in 60 or 61 AD it was said to be an important centre for the Druid
s. Some of the offerings may well have been made in response to the threat from the Romans. No direct Roman influence can be seen on any of the objects found. Most of the items found at Llyn Cerrig Bach can be seen in the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff
, which holds all but four of the objects discovered.
Anglesey
Anglesey , also known by its Welsh name Ynys Môn , is an island and, as Isle of Anglesey, a county off the north west coast of Wales...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. Its main claim to fame is the large hoard of Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
materials discovered there in 1942, apparently placed in the lake as votive offering
Votive offering
A votive deposit or votive offering is one or more objects displayed or deposited, without the intention of recovery or use, in a sacred place for broadly religious purposes. Such items are a feature of modern and ancient societies and are generally made in order to gain favor with supernatural...
s. These finds are considered to be one of the most important collections of La Tène
La Tène culture
The La Tène culture was a European Iron Age culture named after the archaeological site of La Tène on the north side of Lake Neuchâtel in Switzerland, where a rich cache of artifacts was discovered by Hansli Kopp in 1857....
metalwork discovered in the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
.
The discovery was made when ground was being cleared for an R.A.F.
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
base at Valley
RAF Valley
RAF Valley is a Royal Air Force station on the island of Anglesey, Wales, and which is also used as Anglesey Airport. It provides fast-jet training using the BAE Hawk and provides training for aircrew working with Search and Rescue. Unofficially the motto for RAF Valley is 'One Valley, Training...
. This involved spreading peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
over the sandy ground, and the items were discovered during the extraction of peat from the Cors yr Ynys bog on the southern margin of Llyn Cerrig Bach. The first object to be found was an iron gang chain, used for slaves. This was caught up in the teeth of a harrow and was not at first identified as being ancient. It was attached to a tractor and used to pull lorries out of the mud. Although around 2,000 years old, the chain apparently performed this function without problems.
Once the chain had been identified, a search of the area produced a large number of other objects, mainly of iron but some of bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
or copper alloy. A total of 181 artefacts are known to have been recovered. They included sword
Sword
A sword is a bladed weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration...
s and spearheads, shield
Shield
A shield is a type of personal armor, meant to intercept attacks, either by stopping projectiles such as arrows or redirecting a hit from a sword, mace or battle axe to the side of the shield-bearer....
s, chariot
Chariot
The chariot is a type of horse carriage used in both peace and war as the chief vehicle of many ancient peoples. Ox carts, proto-chariots, were built by the Proto-Indo-Europeans and also built in Mesopotamia as early as 3000 BC. The original horse chariot was a fast, light, open, two wheeled...
s and chariot fittings and harness, another slave chain and various iron tools. There were also some plain bars of iron, which may have been used as currency. The slave chain was made with five hinged neck-rings to hold five captives.
Many of these items had been deliberately broken and are thought to have been placed in the lake as votive offerings. Some of the items appear to have been of local manufacture, a few were manufactured in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, but a great many originate from southern England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, suggesting that the fame of Llyn Cerrig Bach as a holy site may have spread well beyond the immediate area. However it is also possible that this was plunder captured in warfare by the local tribes. The items date from the 2nd century BC to around the period of the Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
invasion.
When Roman forces under Caius Suetonius Paulinus captured the island of Anglesey in 60 or 61 AD it was said to be an important centre for the Druid
Druid
A druid was a member of the priestly class in Britain, Ireland, and Gaul, and possibly other parts of Celtic western Europe, during the Iron Age....
s. Some of the offerings may well have been made in response to the threat from the Romans. No direct Roman influence can be seen on any of the objects found. Most of the items found at Llyn Cerrig Bach can be seen in the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, which holds all but four of the objects discovered.
External links
- Llyn Cerrig Bach at glyn-wise.co.uk