Excavating the enclosure ditch and skeletons at Llanbedrgoch (Anglesey). To the left of the image are the lower courses of the settlement's defensive wall. Two of the skeletons can be seen lying in the upper levels of the ditch that lay outside this wall.

The skull of burial 5. This skull was in pieces when discovered and has since been reconstructed. Photo by the School of Art and Medicine, University of Manchester.

The face of burial 5 after recreation. Photo by the School of Art and Medicine, University of Manchester.

Four of the five faces from Llanbedrgoch, cast in brass.

Excavations by the National Museum of Wales on the early medieval settlement at Llanbedrgoch on Anglesey, North Wales, have unlocked details of life in 9th- and 10th-century Wales. Scientific techniques have allowed the faces of four of those that lived there to be recreated from their skulls.

A puzzling discovery

In 1998, an unexpected discovery was made on the west side of the settlement. Five human skeletons were found in the upper level of a filled-in ditch immediately outside a defensive wall that surrounded the settlement. Contrary to usual Christian practice, all skeletons were aligned with their heads either to the north or south rather than to the east possibly influenced by the position of the wall.

They appear to have been casually buried in shallow graves. Three of the bodies had been buried individually, but there was one double burial in which an adult male (approximately 23-35 years old) had been thrown directly on top of a child (approximate age 10-15 years old). The adult male's arms may have been tied behind his back and he may have suffered a blow to the left eye with a sharp object. Another older adult male (35-45 years old) appears to have been placed face down, turned to left, body slightly twisted, and he may have had his wrists fastened in front of his body.

In the case of three of the burials, the bodies were covered by scattered limestone blocks and smaller rubble, probably derived from the collapse of the enclosure wall. This suggests they were buried shortly before the abandonment of the site.

The Llanbedrgoch skeletons date to the second half of the 10th century, a period when Vikings on the Isle of Man effectively controlled Gwynedd, and may have had bases on Anglesey. The circumstances of burial and lack of Christian orientation have led to speculation that these individuals were victims of raiding. The precise circumstances of their deaths may never be known, but they may have been the victims of military activity by Vikings in their search for wealth, perhaps in the form of hostages or slaves.

The Llanbedrgoch skulls show a number of similar features, including horizontal eye fissures, square jaws and adherent ears (they were lacking ear-lobes). Some of these features suggest a genetic relationship between the individuals. Either they belonged to the same families or the individuals came from a small gene pool.

Not only has the site produced a wealth of evidence for settlement layout, buildings, artefacts and standards of living on a high status site - it has also provided the remains of people who once breathed and walked there.

Background Reading

Vikings in Wales: an archaeological quest by Mark Redknap. Published by the National Museums & Galleries of Wales (2000).

Cleaning the south wall of the medieval church

Recording and cleaning in progress (nave and porch in foreground)

Following the dismantling of St Teilos Church at Pontardulais, west Glamorgan, and its removal to St Fagans, excavations on the foundations uncovered further clues to the history of this medieval church.

The dismantling and re-erection of the church made it possible to investigate the foundations of the church in a way that would be impossible otherwise. A detailed understanding of the building is essential in any investigation of a church's development. For churches still in use, only fleeting glimpses of the hidden fabric may be provided as opportunities arise. In the case of the dismantled St Teilo's church, it was possible to produce an accurate, stone-by-stone plan.

Before excavation began, a geophysical survey of the area, using ground- penetrating radar, revealed evidence of numerous burials, and within the church itself a number of areas were identified that could have been related to structural activity.

After excavating and surveying was done, details of the construction from the 12th or 13th century onwards were revealed. The present church probably dates from the 15th century. Before excavation, it was thought that the last addition was a small chapel on the north side of the chancel.

The earliest recognisable phase of the building appears to be a small rectangular nave and chancel. To this was added a north and south transept, probably during the 14th or early 15th century (though not necessarily at the same time).

Important churches in Wales during the later Middle Ages often had a cruciform plan. A south aisle was probably added in the late 15th century to provide for an expanding congregation, and finally a porch was added to the south side of the aisle. A buried grave-slab was found, at the junction of the chancel and north transept, to Mary Bevans of Killa, who died in 1717 aged 64. A section of rubble on the south side of the church, which appears to have been out-of-use by the time the porch was constructed, may have been the base for a churchyard cross.

The excavation has significantly altered the understanding of the development of the church.

The 12th century witnessed an explosion in church building, and much of what remains of the early stone phase of St Teilo's probably dates from about this period.

Although the church can be matched with 'Lan Teliav Talypont', one of four places in Glamorgan called after St Teilo that are mentioned in the 12^th century Liber Landavensis (The Book of Llandaff), no carved stones or evidence for a earlier timber construction have been discovered.

Llanbedrgoch on Anglesey is home to one of Wales' most interesting archaeological sites from when the Vikings invaded Wales. Research at this site by Amgueddfa Cymru has helped reveal the nature of Viking Age life that has puzzled scholars for decades.

Excavation in progress on building 1 in 1997

The site was discovered in 1994 after a number of finds were brought to the Museum for identification. These included an Anglo-Saxon penny of Cynethryth (787-792 AD), a penny of Wulfred of Canterbury (about 810), and three Viking lead weights.

From Neolithic to Roman

After detailed excavation and research, the complex history of the site began to be unravelled. The site appears to have been a focus of activity from as early as 3300 BC, a period when most of the large burial chambers on Anglesey were built. Several items of pottery, radiocarbon dated to around 240 to 450 AD, show activity at the site during the Roman period.

The Site

Activity at the site can be broken up into a number of phases. A ditch was found measuring 2m wide and 1m deep. Further excavation uncovered post-holes cut into bedrock thought to represent a platform of a house. Items recovered suggest that the ditch is pre-Viking. It is at this time that a large timber hall, represented by large post pits, probably belongs.

This timber building appears to have been replaced in the late 9th or early 10th century by at least two halls, last used between about 890 and 970. To the east was a large hall or barn, measuring about 8m by 12m, dated to around 855-1000 AD.

A small section of stone paving to the west marked the entrance to a third, slightly smaller building. Ploughing has removed any clear evidence for the walls but a 10^th century fine bronze buckle and an iron knife blade with angled back were recovered.

A rubbish dump at the south-west corner of the site contained a few artefacts, including a Northumbrian styca (penny) of Archbishop Wigmund (about 848 - 58), socketed iron tools for leatherwork, mounts and bucket bindings.

The area then appears to have returned to agriculture, which in time removed all surface traces of the former settlement. Like sites elsewhere, it is situated on a carefully selected, sheltered location, about 1000m from the sea.

Forming one of the largest collections of this kind from Wales, the objects found at the site are remarkably well preserved. Coin and other evidence suggests an early period of economic growth at Llanbedrgoch from the late 8th century. In the 10th century, the settlement appears to have been at its peak, with harvesting of crops, keeping of livestock, the presence of craftsmen, and contact with Viking merchants arriving in ships.

The enclosure at Llanbedrgoch appears to be the key to unlock further secrets and reveal the nature of Viking Age settlement which has puzzled scholars for decades.