Return of the Vikings? Week One Julie Taylor, 29 August 2012 RETURN TO LLANBEDRGOCH (WEEK ONE)The unexpected discovery in 2001 of an intramural burial within the early medieval enclosed settlement at Llanbedrgoch raised a new series of questions about the site, its occupants, their activities and their relationships with other regions. We returned to the site a week ago, and the last eight days have focused on setting out the new areas of excavation, removing ploughsoil, monitoring weather forecasts and adjusting the daily tasks to make the best of at times trying conditions. The team of students includes volunteers from Bangor and Cardiff, and one from Toronto (Canada). Yesterday we were joined by some local, experienced, volunteers from Gwynedd and Anglesey. They have all been outstanding, and the early medieval archaeology of the site is already being transformed. Excavation is an ongoing process, and if you follow us over the next three weeks, the team will provide you with personal insights into the excavation.Even though the research design has clearly stated objectives, the work often reveals evidence of a completely different nature. Our return this year was in fact the result of such an unexpected discovery and its implications. The burial from inside the enclosure (Burial 6) was not revealed in plan through specific searching for inhumations, or the recognition of subtle changes in soil colour or character, but by the decision to cut a narrow trench through the early medieval ‘black earth’ midden material in the south-western area of the site in order to reveal the midden sequence and facilitate section drawing and sampling. In spite of the profound silence of the individual in this grave and those discovered in 1998-99, they continue since their discovery to help us answer in increasing detail a range of fundamental historical questions: How did the people of Llanbedrgoch and north-west Wales, who had contact with Anglo-Saxons, Irish and Scandinavians, respond to such peoples? How does the archaeological evidence for the politics and economy of early medieval Wales compare to that provided by other sources? Were the daily lives of people at Llanbedrgoch during the sixth and seventh centuries different from those in the ninth and tenth centuries? What types of diet and health did they enjoy? How did Christianity affect their lives and burial practices? We have already begun to answer some of these questions – one of the first artefacts to be found last week in the ploughsoil was a lead necklace pendant in the form of a cross – slightly larger than one found in an earlier season of excavation at the site. This site continues to amaze, surprise and inspire – follow us if you can. Mark Redknap
Return of the Vikings? Julie Taylor, 23 August 2012 After a gap of more than a decade, a team of archaeologists has returned to excavate at Llanbedrgoch, Anglesey. You can read more about previous seasons at this Viking-Age settlement here http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/archaeology/vikings/Mark Redknap and his team made an exciting discovery towards the end of the 2001 season - evidence that there might be an early medieval cemetery on the site. Are they right? Finds are appearing already, but what can they tell us? Watch this space to find out more!Mark is joined this season byEvan Chapman (Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales)David Griffiths (University of Oxford)Tudur Davies (University of Sheffield)Brian Milton, an experienced archaeologist from Cornwall who has spent many seasons at LlanbedrgochArchie Gillespie, one of the two metal detectors who originally found the site and who is a dab hand with the archaeological trowel too.Students from Cardiff, Bangor and Toronto Universities, and other volunteers.Hopefully you'll get to hear more about them as the dig progresses over the next 3 weeks.
Museum Challenge Danielle Cowell, 22 August 2012 Ten young people gave up four days of their summer holidays to help make our whale and turtle displays more family-friendly.They signed up to the challenge through Cardiff’s Summer Learning Festival, which invites 12-15 year olds to learn new skills in their spare time. They learned how to evaluate and exhibition, pick a good story, write interesting text and select objects to make a family friendly display. In just four days, they created new displays and quizzes for families to enjoy. Their work is on display throughtout the summer holidays and has proved to be very popular! Come and see their work for yourself in the Whale gallery at the National Museum Cardiff. Diolch i / Many thanks to:Jasmine Coombes, Emily Frankish, Aled Gomer, Thomas Griffiths, Samantha Hardy, Stephen Lloyd, Simon Naylor, Maxwell Piper, Anna Rees, Mollie Shand.
A History of Doll-Making: A Welsh Perspective 10 August 2012 A male doll from the late 19th century Amgueddfa Cymru houses a fine collection of dolls dating from around 1800 to 2000. Made from a range of different materials, they all possess some link to Wales. From early wooden examples to contemporary plastic figures, the development of doll-making can be traced from simple, home-made items to mass-produced factory goods. Playtime in the Ancient World Past and present, children have always played - escaping to their own imaginary world is an integral part of a healthy and stimulating childhood. Primitive dolls from materials such as wood and clay have been found in Egyptian tombs dating from 1600 BC, and such figures were enjoyed as playthings in ancient Greece and Rome. The Middle Ages saw dolls being produced in Europe, and as the centuries progressed, so did the variety of materials employed to create dolls and toys in general. Doll classification Dolls are classified according to their head type. Most early dolls in the woodcarving areas of Germany and Austria were, unsurprisingly, made from wood. Wax dolls appeared during the 17th century, and by around 1800 composition dolls, namely mixtures of pulped wood or paper, were introduced in Germany. Papier-mâché, a type of composition and a cheaper alternative to wood, was a popular mix and its mass-production during the early-nineteenth century marked the beginnings of the German doll-making industry. The production of glazed porcelain, or china dolls during the mid-19th century meant that wax doll-making had halted by around 1890. Porcelain dolls boasted a shiny appearance, creating a very pleasing finish. Most were produced in Germany and France. Also common in both countries from around the 1860s were dolls of bisque (unglazed porcelain), which featured delicately painted faces and a most attractive skin colour. While the heads were of china, the dolls' bodies tended to be of leather or wood. Historically most dolls were representations of adult women, the French 'bebe', popular in the 1880s, depicted a younger girl for the first time. The 19th century was truly a golden era for the production of dolls, whether in wood, wax, or china, when most were made in Germany, France, England (and later in the United States). This anti-suffragette 'voodoo' doll is an unflattering and grotesque caricature of a suffrage campaigner. The anti-suffrage movement used images such as this in cartoons and posters to ridicule and insult women who wanted the right to vote. An Edwardian suffragette rag doll, c.1890-1900 Set of three miniature bisque dolls, c.1920-25 Whereas travelling fairs and markets commonly sold toys and dolls during the pre-industrial era, by the 19th century more permanent toyshops had been opened to sell goods on a regular basis. Undressed dolls were often purchased, after which mothers or their daughters sewed their own outfits, either following their own designs or shop-bought patterns. The sewing of the body is a good indication of a doll's date, for sewing machines were not generally used until about 1870. By this time, dolls were generally becoming less of a luxury item and more affordable for a larger audience. In Wales, however, until the mid-20th century few Welsh families had money to spend on anything save life's essentials, which usually meant creating one's own forms of entertainment and amusement. Dolls were made by local craftsmen or a child's parents from wood or cloth, thus being rather unsophisticated, yet, at the same time, often charming and full of character. Owing to new production methods, the toy industry in Britain was transformed following the Second World War by the emergence of new, cheaper materials, such as plastic. Prices dropped as toys and dolls became available for all children. Hard plastic dolls were first manufactured in the 1940s, and from then on, such brightly coloured and fashionable new creations led to the demise of home-made items, which appeared rather dowdy in comparison. The internationally successful Barbie doll first hit the shelves from America in 1959 and nowadays, large toy shops stock a staggeringly large array of dolls, many of which are based on female characters from popular films and television programmes. The Museum's doll collection continues to grow and it is important that contemporary examples are collected to reflect the changing nature of doll-making as new materials and techniques are introduced into the market. Welsh connections remain essential, with the doll needing either to have been made or played with in Wales before it can be accessioned. The Museum is particularly proud of its Welsh costume dolls, ranging from rare mid-19th century pieces to a 1999 'Cool Cymru' Barbie smartly donned in Welsh dragon dress.
Lost Landscapes: Beneath the Eisteddfod of 2012 is a sacred landscape 3 August 2012 At the site of the National Eisteddfod of 2012, four thousand years ago, the people of the Vale buried selected members of their community. Impressive and complex mound constructions marked the resting places of their (and our?) ancestors. In the extreme winter of 1939-40 Sir Cyril Fox, Director of the National Museum, excavated these archaeological monuments. Around him bulldozers were already preparing the ground for the WWII airfield Llandow. Sir Cyril Fox, Lady Fox and "half-a-dozen pick-and-shove men" explored the remains of the past. That winter of 1939-40 was the coldest on record. The future looked very grim. The items in this gallery are a selection of pages from Cyril Fox's own handwritten notebooks from these excavations.
