Uncovering our Collections: Half a Million Records now Online 26 March 2018 As we reveal half a million collection records for the first time, we look at some of the strangest and most fascinating objects from National Museum Wales Collections Online. This article contains photos of human skeletal fragments. The Biggest We have some real whoppers in our collections - including a full-size Cardiff Tram and a sea rescue helicopter - but the biggest item in our collection is actually Oakdale Workmen's Institute. Built in 1917, the Institute features a billiard room, dance hall and library - and is nowadays found in St Fagans National Museum of History. Horace Watkins testing his monoplane in 1908 Many of the buildings in St Fagans are part of the national collection - meaning they have the same legal status as one of our masterpiece Monets or this coin hoard. The buildings are dismantled, moved, rebuilt - and cared for using traditional techniques, by the museum's legendary Historic Buildings Unit. The Oldest The oldest human remains ever discovered in Wales These teeth belonged to an eight year-old Neanderthal boy - and at 230,000 years old, they are the oldest human remains in Wales. They were discovered in a cave near Cefn Meiriadog in Denbighshire, along with a trove of other prehistoric finds, including stone tools and the remains of a bear, a lion, a leopard and a rhinocerous tooth. These teeth are among some of the incredible objects on display at St Fagans National Museum of History The Shiniest People in Wales have been making, trading and wearing beautiful treasures from gold for thousands of years - like this Bronze Age hair ornament and this extremely blingy Medieval signet. At around 4000 years old, this sun disc is one of the earliest and rarest examples of Welsh bling One of the earliest examples of Welsh bling is this so-called 'sun disc', found near Cwmystwyth in Ceredigion. Current research suggests that these 'sun discs' were part of ancient funeral practice, most likely sewn onto the clothes of the dead before their funerals. Only six have ever been found in the UK. Most Controversial At first glance, an ordinary Chapel tea service - used by congregations as they enjoyed a 'paned o de' after a service. A closer look reveals the words - 'Capel Celyn'. The chapel, its graveyard and surrounding village are now under water. Capel Celyn, in the Tryweryn Valley, is now underwater Flooded in 1965 by the Liverpool Corporation, the Tryweryn valley became a flashpoint for Welsh political activism - creating a new generation of campaigners who pushed for change in how Welsh communities were treated by government and corporations. Curators from St Fagans collected these as an example of life in Capel Celyn - to serve as a poignant reminder of a displaced community, and to commemorate one of the most politically charged moments of the 20th century in Wales. Honourable Mention: an Airplane made from a Dining Room Chair Made from a dining room chair, piano wire and a 40 horsepower engine, the Robin Goch (Red Robin) was built in 1909 - and also features a fuel gauge made from an egg timer. The Robin Goch (Red Robin) on display at the National Waterfront Museum Its builder, Horace Watkins, was the son of a Cardiff printer - here he is pictured with an earlier, even more rickety version of his famous monoplane. Horace Watkins testing his monoplane in 1908 Our collections are full of stories which reflect Wales' unique character and history. The Robin Goch is one of the treasures of the collection, and is an example of Welsh ingenuity at its best. Half a Million Searchable Items The launch of Collections Online uncovers half a million records, which are now searchable online for the first time. “Collections Online represents a huge milestone in our work, to bring more of our collections online and to reach the widest possible audience. It’s also just the beginning. It’s exciting to think how people in Wales and beyond will explore these objects, form connections, build stories around them, and add to our store of knowledge." – Chris Owen, Web Manager Search Collections Online Plans for the future Our next project will be to work through these 500,000 records, adding information and images as we go. We'll be measuring how people use the collections, to see which objects provoke debate or are popular with our visitors. That way, we can work out what items to photograph next, or which items to consider for display in our seven national museums. Preparing and photographing the collections can take time, as some items are very fragile and sensitive to light. If you would like to support us as we bring the nation's collections online, please donate today - every donation counts. Donate Today We are incredibly grateful to the People's Postcode Lottery for their support in making this collection available online.
What happens at a treasure hearing Alice Pattillo, 21 March 2018 You might have heard of various archaeological artefacts being declared treasure by coroners, but what exactly does this entail?Treasure hearings are one of the most cheerful aspects of a coroner’s job. Amongst all the heartache and mourning that goes with knowing the ins and outs of people’s (sometimes tragic) passing, many coroners look forward to declaring pieces of the past treasure. Not only do these items bring the coroner pleasure, but they are landmark pieces of local history that have been hidden from us for hundreds of years.Last Thursday, 15th March, Mark Layton, HM Coroner for Pembrokeshire, declared 6 local discoveries treasure at Milford Haven Coroners Court - and I was privy to the process. First and foremost, I learned that what goes on in the court is mostly a formality. The experts at NMW offer thoroughly researched reports and advice on whether each item is treasure and Coroner’s Clerk, Gareth Warlow, compiles all the evidence prior to the hearing.This particular hearing was full of some really stunning pieces, including a beautiful 16th Century gilt ring and a fragment of a silver Viking arm ring. The arm ring is an important piece in the puzzle that is Pembrokeshire’s possibly Nordic-influenced past. Finder, Ken Lunn was there to witness the confirmation of his landmark discovery being officially declared treasure.But it was a post-medieval silver scabbard chape that really drew in the crowds. With the landowner attending as well as the finder’s entire family! While it may sound surprising for this to be a family affair, it is certainly exciting to see a piece of metal you have discovered on an old patch of land be confirmed as an important enough part of local history to have it marked as treasure. If only more finders would attend and take part in celebrating their role in helping the experts to build up a bigger picture of Wales’ rich history – even if it was a quick stop before Birthday lunch!After recording each artefact and offering any comments or objections to be voiced by both landowner and finder, Mr Layton declared all the objects treasure and they will now be sent on the intrepid journey to the British Museum for valuation. They will then be acquired by Welsh museums thanks to the Saving Treasures; Telling Stories Project, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.It may be a long, arduous road for these little glimpses of history, but it’s important they are accurately recorded so we don’t miss on any little glimmer of light they may shine on the past.Click here for more information on Saving Treasures; Telling Stories.
Swaps: David Hurn on Photography - Part 3 16 March 2018 Swaps: Photographs from the David Hurn Collection runs from 30 September 2017 to 15 April 2018. This exhibition celebrates the major gift of photographs from David Hurn’s private collection and marks the opening of Amgueddfa Cymru’s first gallery dedicated to photography. Here are the final collection of short films from the exhibition: Philip Jones Griffiths "This is a picture by Philip Jones Griffiths. Philip is a Welshman, he’s a Welsh speaking Welshman from North Wales. From an educational point of view I find him another one of the people who was self trained as a photographer. I find it intriguing how most of the people that I really admire in photography, are self trained. To me, it’s one of the most moving pictures I’ve ever seen. It’s usually on my wall, it’s on the stairs and you’re confronted by it if you’re going up to the toilet. Not infrequently, people come down with bleary, teary eyes and I think that’s, in a way, what a picture should do. I think that’s what photography does terribly well. You don’t need to have an explanation. I think the general public know enough about what goes on in the world of wars and thing like that, so it’s not that important to anyone going up there whether it’s Vietnam, or Biafra or whatever. It tells you something about the human condition which we all instinctively know enough about to get an emotional impact from the picture. And I just think it’s a strong a picture as I’ve ever seen by anybody. A truly remarkable person, and greatly, greatly missed." Clémentine Schneidermann "I saw the work of this young lady, I didn’t know her or anything about her, at a small gallery in Abertillery and it reeked of quality. There was what I call authorship. This looked to me, potentially, a cloass photographer. Later she had a little brochure made which again has that same thing. It kind of has a feeling of togetherness about it, you sense that the person understands what they’re photographing. This kind of photography is very in at the moment, a certain look of person and a certain kind of portraiture. All I can say is that she does it much better than a lot of other people around. It’s my personal opinion. And that’s why I asked her if I could swap a couple of prints with her. I think she already is a pretty classy photographer and I suspect in 50 years’ time she will still be shooting pictures." Bruce Davidson "And then the other photographer who I met at that time was Bruce Davidson who was… I did travel around quite a lot with him and particularly when he was in London I introduced him and got him into a lot of ‘slightly undergroundy’ places he might have struggled to get to. This particular picture is an extraordinary picture, from a set of pictures he did on a gang in New York. Incredible set of pictures. Bruce was lovely, we used to go round in one of the first little Mini’s and I remember he used to eat a staggering amount of bananas. For some reason we lived off bananas. He is a wonderful photographer and a wonderful person. He did extraordinary work on the Selma marches and things like that. Great social conscience and decent human being. He had an incredible effect on me and gave me a lot of prints. This was at the time when there weren’t galleries, a print was something that cost you 50p to have made. Somebody said “oh, I’d like that”, which people mainly didn’t, and he’d say “fine”, you know. I think in the collection there are probably about eight or nine Bruce Davidson pictures and I think every one of them is so beautiful. I would have loved to have taken this picture, it’s a great picture. " John Davies "John Davies was living in South Wales, he is an extraordinarily good landscape photographer of a very, very pure documentary nature. They’re very straight pictures of the landscape, there’s obviously no tricks, they’re just very much scene pictures. I basically swapped a mass of pictures, probably over twenty years, in that we swapped Christmas cards. We both made handmade Christmas cards – they’re actual prints that are made, and in my case, every year I make fifty of them and they go out as a limited edition. I’m not quite sure what his edition is, but he does the same. There was no reason to try and get a bigger print because I just think they are so beautiful this size. They are just so delicate and lovely." Banner photograph by Clémentine Schneidermann. More info David Hurn at Magnum Philip Jones Griffiths at Magnum Clémentine Schneidermann Bruce Davidson at Magnum John Davies
Discovering Ancient Greek coins with Eirini Eirini Anagnostou, Alice Pattillo, 16 March 2018 Hi, Eirini here – I am a student intern in the Archaeology and Numismatics department at NMW, Cardiff. I’ve been taking a look at the museum’s extensive coin collection and will be creating a series of blogs on each of them.Today I am looking at ancient coins from my home country of Greece. The collection of Greek coinage dates back to over 2000 years ago, but the designs are in great condition. They are all made of silver or gold and we can see the development of currency through them – beginning with rough coins that look like ingots to detailed chunky coins featuring Emperors faces, some from Macedonia and Byzantium as well as famous leaders like Alexander the Great.I’ve picked my two favourite coins from the collection:Alexander the Great, Macedonian Drachma 4 Drachum from Pella, Macedonia (dating to 315BC) features Alexander wearing a lion skin, the symbol of Greek hero Hercules, on the front with Alexander’s name inscribed on the back next to an image of Zeus. This design was mimicked by Emperors following Alexander’s death.I like that this coin is in such good condition. We can see the details of Alexander’s face – it’s impressive considering the tools they had! You can read the inscription clearly despite how old it is.Byzantine Empress Theodora, Constantinople Nomisma A gold tetarteron dating from the reign of Theodora (AD 1055-1056) featuring a portrait of Theodora holding a sceptre and orb, on the other side is a depiction of Jesus Christ. The same iconography of Jesus was used on other Byzantine emperors’ coins, but with their own portraits in place of Theodora’s.I like how this coin is also in great condition, however, the artwork is much simpler on Byzantine coins with less intricate detailing.Next week, I will be looking at some Roman coins - a common metal detectorist find in Wales. Greek coins, unfortunately, aren't found in Wales as Greece never invaded the British Isles! Remember to always report any findings to the Portable Antiquities Scheme to allow us to keep learning from the past.
Lleisiau o’r Gorffennol: Ŵyna yn Rhandirmwyn, 1975 Aled Jones, 15 March 2018 Yn ystod y 1970au cynnar aeth staff yr amgueddfa ati i recordio hen ffermwyr yn disgrifio ffermio yng Nghymru ar ddechrau’r ugeinfed ganrif cyn datblygiadau peiriannau ffermio o’r 1950au ymlaen. Mae’r recordiau yn cael ei chadw yn Archif Sain yr amgueddfa.Yn 1975 holodd John Williams Davies y ffermwr Dan Theophilus am y profiad o ffermio defaid ar ddechrau’r ugeinfed ganrif.Roedd Dan Theophilus yn byw ar fferm Allt Yr Erw, Rhandirmwyn, pentref yng ngogledd-ddwyrain Sir Gaerfyrddin.Mae Dan Theophilus yn sôn am ofalu am y defaid adeg ŵyna, yr achosion mae’n meddwl sydd yn arwain at ddefaid yn cael trafferth i ddod ac ŵyn, a’r tywydd gwaethaf ar gyfer y tymor ŵyna. Dan Theophilus, Allt Yr Erw, Rhandirmwyn Mae’n dweud sut oedd perswadio defaid i fabwysiadu oen, y perthynas rhwng y ddafad a’r oen a pha mor ffyddlon byddai’r defaid i’r ŵyn ar ôl ŵyna wrth iddo droi’r defaid i’r mynydd.
