Bronze Age Burial Ground Found Beneath Welsh Park

News June 25, 2025

Aerial view of excavations at Trelai Park, Cardiff, Wales
Vivian Thomas
SHARE:

CARDIFF, WALES—Over the past several years, excavations beneath Cardiff’s Trelai Park, a popular spot for sports and recreation, have unveiled thousands of years of local history. The site is close to the Iron Age Caerau hillfort as well as an extensive Roman-era villa. Last year, archaeological work in the park uncovered traces of a Bronze Age roundhouse dating back to 1500 b.c., believed to be the oldest recorded dwelling in Cardiff. BBC News reports that archaeologists from Caerau and Ely Rediscovering Heritage Project (CAER) recently discovered another Bronze Age structure, a timber circle, and burial ground containing pits with cremated human remains. The team said that the fact that the cemetery was found in such close proximity to the roundhouse suggests that the deceased may have been cherished family members. The recent work has demonstrated that the archaeological site is much more substantial than originally thought, and is providing a window into the lives of the city’s very earliest settlers who lived there 3,000 years ago. “It's not difficult to argue that Trelai could be one of the most important parks for heritage in south Wales,” said CAER co-director David Wyatt. For more on prehistoric Wales, go to "Letter from Wales: Hillforts of the Iron Age."


 

  • Features May/June 2025

    A Passion for Fruit

    Exploring the surprisingly rich archaeological record of berries, melons…and more

    Read Article
    © BnF, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais/Art Resource, NY
  • Features May/June 2025

    Goddess at the Crossroads

    Why a city put its trust in a Greek deity feared throughout the Mediterranean world

    Read Article
    Istanbul Archaeology Museums
  • Features May/June 2025

    Desert Paradise Found

    How a tiny, water-rich kingdom came to dominate vital trade routes in the Arabian Gulf 4,000 years ago

    Read Article
    Courtesy BACA/Moesgaard Museum
  • Features May/June 2025

    Peru’s Timeless Threads

    More than 1,000 years ago, master weavers kept the ancient traditions of the Moche culture alive

    Read Article
    Jeffrey Quilter