SKELETONS FOUND UNDER COLLEGE
ROMAN era human remains have been found underneath a college in Wales. Skeletons buried in dozens of stone-lined “cist” graves were discovered as part of an archaeological dig under Coleg Menai’s Pencraig Campus in Llangefni, Anglesey, in 2017.
Two years on, Dr Irene Garcia Rovira of Archaeology Wales has now revealed all about the “astonishing finds” made as part of the major excavation.
So far, the remains of 86 people have been discovered at the ancient burial ground, which experts say have remained in “astonishingly good” condition.
They are thought to date back more than 1,600 years.
The archaeologist also says tests reveal how some of the skeletons buried in the cemetery are likely to have grown up hundreds of miles away from Anglesey.
Experts believe the site was used as a cemetery from around the time of the Roman departure from Wales.
Dr Rovira, said: “The cemetery could date back from the 4th century to the 8th century.
“In Anglesey, the soil is every acidic, so to have this kind of preservation is very unique.”
The findings from Archaeology Wales so far come from just one half of the site.
A bigger picture will be gained once it combines its findings with Brython Archaeology, which is doing excavation work on the other half of the site.
The site was initially found in 2016 when Anglesey council and the Welsh Government began the first phase of the £11.4m Llangefni Link Road, connecting the campus to the A55.
The dig revealed the remains of 54 people – suggesting early medieval use.
In 2017, the remains of a further 32 individuals were uncovered, indicating the burial site may have
been used for a long period of time.
“What was interesting is that on our side, we found a larger proportion of females than males,” Dr Rovira added.
“However, this may all be proportioned out when we combine our findings with Brython Archaeology.
“What we do know from the isotope analyses is that some individuals came from western Britain, where the border is today between England and Wales, a couple from Scandinavia and a couple from Mediterranean places like Spain.”
So far, archaeologists have also uncovered a 2nd century AD Roman coin, as well as decorative bronze Celtic items, including an early medieval brooch.
The Roman coin was found on the hip of a female skeleton.
Dr Rovira, added: “It could be that it just happened to be on the soil at the time of the burial and fell into the grave, or it could have been purposely placed with her, as some sort of family heirloom.
“But it’s not clear yet, you could go with either theory. It’s a bit of a mystery.
“One side has the face of Antoninus Pius but the other side is very abrasive.
“The brooch is an early medieval item that could have been attached to someone that was buried, but we don’t know much about it.”
Grwp Llandrillo-Menai CEO Dafydd Evans said: “This has been an exciting discovery suggesting some kind of settlement has existed at Llangefni for almost the last 2,000 years.
“Once the experts have completed their work, the college will be working in partnership with Anglesey county council so that these discoveries can be seen by the public at the nearby Oriel Ynys Mon gallery and museum.”