People have been hoarding objects for thousands of years.

People still do it today, but its origins lie in prehistory. This was very common in the Bronze Age (around 3000 years ago) when people collected items, such as weapons and tools, and buried them in pits and ditches. 

Hoards may contain only three or four objects, or up to fifty or more. The largest Bronze Age hoard currently known in Britain contains over 6500 objects! Many hoards have been found in Wales recently and reported through the Portable Antiquities Scheme Cymru. This greatly adds to our understanding of prehistoric Wales.

Most recently, the Trevethin hoard from Torfaen has caught media attention, containing three axes and two spearheads. Other hoards have recently been found in the Vale of Glamorgan, Carmarthenshire, and Monmouthshire.

Buried objects include swords, spears, axes, and ingots of raw metal. Sometimes these objects were buried complete and pristine, while others were deliberately broken, burnt and bent before being put in the ground.

Many questions surround this practice.

Why were so many objects buried?

Why were some objects broken, while others were left intact?

Were hoards for religious purposes (e.g. as an offering)? Or did they act as stores of raw material that were lost?

It’s unlikely we will ever truly know the answers to these questions, and there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach. However, archaeologists can speculate based on how and where the hoard was buried and by comparing it to known historical periods in which hoarding was also practiced.

For instance, many hoards in Roman and Medieval times were deposited for safe keeping, during times of unrest. Meanwhile, objects deposited on hilltops or in rivers may have been symbolic markers within the landscape.

We can also think about what people do with objects today.

Some people collect objects for a hobby, such as stamps, coins, or shot glasses. Sometimes it’s for a specific purpose, such as preserving heritage – museums are an excellent example of this.

Similarly, items might be destroyed or discarded for a variety of reasons, such as eliminating a memory, commemorating the death of a friend or family, or simply as waste. Of course we can’t forget that sometimes objects might simply be lost.

Whatever the reason, hoarding formed an important tradition in Bronze Age Wales. With every new discovery, archaeologists get one step closer to understanding prehistoric ideas and values.

The Trevethin hoard is one of several hoards that was responsibly reported through the Portable Antiquities Scheme Cymru. It is now proudly on display at Pontypool Museum where it can be enjoyed by all members of the public. It was acquired with funding from the Saving Treasures: Telling Stories Project. More details on how the hoard was investigated, as well as a conversation with the finder, Gareth Wileman, can be found here.

Wel, efallai ddim yn y byd i gyd, ond yn sicr mae gyda’r gwiriona yn Amgueddfa Cymru!

Pan fydd ffrindiau’n holi “Sut mae’r swydd newydd?” fydd dweud fy mod i’n Gynorthwy-ydd Metadata Casgliadau Ar-lein ddim yn rhyw lawer o help.

Mae hon yn swydd newydd sbon yn yr Amgueddfa a grëwyd diolch i nawdd y People’s Postcode Lottery.

“Ym... enw crand am fewnbynnu data?”. Dyw hynny’n fawr o help chwaith. Mae’n wir taw eistedd wrth sgrin cyfrifiadur fydda i’r rhan fwyaf o’r amser, gyda thaenlenni a basau data yn troi fy llygaid i’n sgwâr wrth i fi symud gwybodaeth o un blwch i’r llall. Ond bob hyn a hyn bydda i’n cael fy atgoffa o werth gwirioneddol y gwaith.

Mae’r hyn sydd i fi yn gasgliad o rifau’n cambyhafio ac yn gwrthod ffitio’n y golofn gywir, mewn gwirionedd yn cynrychioli gwrthrychau a delweddau o’n casgliadau amrywiol.

Bob hyn a hyn felly, bydd llun bydenwog yn ymddangos, fel Glaw, Auvers gan Van Gough

Neu gall fod yn hen ffotograff o drigolion y teras o dai gweithwyr haearn sydd bellach yn Sain Ffagan Amgeuddfa Werin Cymru. Os edrychwn ni’n ofalus, mae’n amlwg bod rhai o’r plant ar bigau’r drain, prin yn medru aros yn llonydd i’r camera!

Mae gwrthrychau Amgueddfa Cymru i gyd wedi’u catalogio ar fas data er mwyn i ni gadw golwg ar bob eitem yn y casgliad a ble caiff ei gadw.

Fy ngwaith i yw paru’r rhifau yn y bas data gyda’r delweddau a’r wybodaeth amdanynt (dyna’r Metadata yn y teitl) er mwyn i chi gael eu gweld ar Casgliadau Ar-lein (fydd ar gael yn y fuan iawn).

Hwn fydd y cyfle cyntaf i chi gael chwilio’r bas data eich hun. Byddwch chi’n gweld yr union wybodaeth â’r curaduron pan fydda’n nhw’n chwilio drwy ein gwrthrychau. Os ydych chi am wybod faint yn union o feiciau modur sy’n y casgliadau, cyn hir gallwch chi weld dros eich hun!

Mae’n waith mawr tacluso’r holl wybodaeth cyn ei gyflwyno i’r cyhoedd, ond rydyn ni wrthi’n brysur... felly nol at y taenlenni a fi!

Looking across Swansea Bay on a chilly spring morning and seeing that the tide was out came with a sigh of relief as this meant we didn’t have to wait an hour or so to get started with our beachcomb.

I joined Swansea Museum on The Mumbles side of the Bay to take part in one of their community projects that aims to engage local communities with their pasts. On this occasion the museum teamed up with the Llanrhidian Women’s Institute and the Gurnos Men’s Community First group to take part in a beachcomb led by archaeologist Paul Huckfield, from the Glamorgan Gwent Archaeological Trust.

All wrapped up in extra layers we were ready to begin our trek across the swamp-like beach, luckily most of us received the wellies memo and they were definitely needed.

Paul wanted to create a sense of what the landscape would have been like during the Bronze Age and took us to areas on the beach where some of the landscape remained fairly similar and unchanged.

“We’re standing on the actual ground surface as it would have been in the Bronze Age. You can see the peat levels just here show what would have been around in the Bronze Age; you can see that this is black in colour from the trees and bits of foliage. So you’re actually standing in the past at around 4,000 years ago.”

Travelling through time across the bay allowed us to think of what life would have been like 4,000 years ago, what is now a beach would have been a woodland and shrubbery area surrounded with fresh water pools.

Paul talks about some of the reason why the landscape changed and during what periods. You can watch the clip HERE:

Bringing us through time to the 19^th and 20^th century we were then led to some of the remaining shipwrecks found on Swansea Bay. On the Mumbles side of the bay alone we could spot around 14 shipwrecks and vessels. Vessel remains are still on the bay and these would have been used to protect the area from submarine attacks during the Second World War.

Paul said: “The whole beach is covered in metal uprights and wire to stop enemy gliders coming onto the beach.”

Another shipwreck was part of an oyster fleet. We learnt that the bay was a natural resource for oysters and they were a major food source, some dating back to Roman times, however this source was destroyed during the industrial period.

After having a look around the beach and learning how it has changed through time with different inhabitants we were then given clear bags and told to try and find our own items.

We found a variety of items during the beachcomb from ceramics, beer bottles from London, fossils and different types of slate and stone. The items found today along with others from previous beachcombs with Swansea Museum will be kept and made into a mosaic for public viewing in the future.

Swansea Museum are currently working on a project called ‘The Lost Treasures of Swansea Bay’, which is funded by the help of the ‘Saving Treasures; Telling Stories’ project and you can read about the last walk I attended with them HERE. Saving Treasures is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund which is acquiring archaeological objects for local and national collections and providing training for heritage professionals and volunteers.

By Ieuan Donovan, Work Placement Student

I’m currently studying for an MSc in Wildlife and Conservation Management at the University of South Wales and as part of this course opted to undertake a Work Based Learning Project within the Estates Department at St Fagans. Throughout my time on the work placement I have been able to take part in a number of jobs from clearing deadwood and brash, to hedge laying and delivering firewood to the historical buildings around the site. The variety of roles I’ve been able to do has meant that I’ve had a good time working at the museum. I’ve also enjoyed being able to partake in practical jobs away from an office and away from assignments. Although a welcome break from desk based work it’s been a great way of incorporating theoretical knowledge with practical application and implementation of specific management plans. The work placement has also opened up an avenue for me to pursue my dissertation research project using the museum grounds.