Rescue Excavation in Wales Recovers Skeletal Remains

News November 19, 2019

(Cardiff University/Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust)
SHARE:
Wales Shipwreck Skeletons
(Cardiff University/Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust)

GLAMORGAN, WALES—BBC News reports that the bones of at least six people were recovered at the edge of an eroded cliff at Nash Point, a beach on the coast of South Wales, by a team of archaeologists from Cardiff University and Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust, climbing experts, geologists, and ecologists. Previous rescue missions at the cemetery site have retrieved bones radiocarbon dated to the late sixteenth or early seventeenth centuries. Bioarchaeologist Jacqui Mulville of Cardiff University said the newly discovered bones may have belonged to Tudor or Stuart-era men killed in a shipwreck. The remains of one younger person were found buried away from the others, who had been placed in graves dug side-by-side, and multiple men had been placed in a single grave. Analysis of the bones could help pinpoint when the men lived and who they were, Mulville added. Additional graves at the site were found empty because the bones had already washed out to sea. To read about a medieval castle in Wales whose footprint was exposed by a summer drought, go to "The Marks of Time."

  • Features September/October 2019

    Minaret in the Mountains

    Excavations near a 12th-century tower reveal the summer capital of a forgotten Islamic empire

    Read Article
    (Courtesy Minaret of Jam Archaeological Project)
  • Letter from Lake George September/October 2019

    Exploring the Great Warpath

    Evidence from forts, hospitals, and taverns in upstate New York is illuminating the lives of thousands of British soldiers during the French and Indian War

    Read Article
    (Jerry Trudell the Skys the Limit/Getty Images)
  • Artifacts September/October 2019

    Roman Coin

    Read Article
    (Courtesy MOLA Headland)
  • Digs & Discoveries September/October 2019

    The Case for Clotilda

    Read Article
    (Courtesy SEARCH inc)