Skeleton discovered as dig discloses Iron Age secrets

A RITUALLY buried skeleton and second prehistoric settlement have been found at a popular tourist site in Wales.

- ABBIE WIGHTWICK

Scientific testing is currently being undertaken on archaeological remains from Fonmon Castle in the Vale of Glamorgan.

A previous dig had already uncovered an ancient cemetery which has been hailed as a major archaeological find shedding new light on life in early-medieval Wales. There is evidence of ritual feasting, with around half of the 80 burials being recovered so far. Now the bones of a ritually buried animal have been discovered.

The new dig by Cardiff University researchers has revealed part of an Iron Age settlement, located just to the west of the castle. So far, only the ditch at the entrance to the settlement has been uncovered. A key find was the skeleton of a dog deliberately placed in the entrance ditch, probably put there as part of a ritual to protect the settlement.

The new trench was dug to investigate an area of the castle grounds where geophysical surveys indicated another possible archaeological site.

Dr Andy Seaman, reader in Early Mediaeval Archaeology at Cardiff University's School of History, Archaeology and Religion, said: "The dog was at the entranceway into the enclosure. The skeleton was complete, and it had been placed very deliberately at the bottom of the ditch. This is something we see in other Iron Age sites in Britain, and we believe it relates to the role of dogs as symbolic guardians.