Life in Anglesey 2000 years ago. An Early Iron Age Discovery

Abstract

A Collection consisting of some 90 objects of bronze and iron which touches life and art in Celtic antiquity at more points than any deposit hitherto found in Wales was discovered in 1943 a few miles from Holyhead, Anglesey. It has now become the property of the National Museum of Wales at Cardiff, the principal donor being Mr Evan R. Hughes, of Holyhead.The collection includes weapons—fragmentary swords and daggers and spears; indestructible elements of vehicles—iron tyres, nave-hoops, bollard and linch-pins; and of harness—terrets, loop and numerous bridle-bits; things of social and economic interest—gang-chains for captives, currency bars, sickle, and fragmentary cauldron (or waterclock); of ceremonial interest—the central portion of a bronze trumpet, a wand of ash-wood decorated with spiral bronze ribbon; personalia—the bronze mounts of a wooden casket. All the objects were found in peat; many were deeply stained with vivianite, being associated with animal bones—of horse, ox, pig, sheep and dog.