STILL SENDING OUR TREASURE TO LONDON...

A Roman ring found near Caerphilly has been returned by the British Museum for permanent display in the Winding House Museum at New Tredegar to put on permanent display. The silver ring, around 2,000 years old, was found on Cefn Brithdir, in the Darran Valley, earlier this year by a man with a metal detector. The finder alerted the authorities to his discovery and the ring was passed to the National Museum in Cardiff which identified it as a typical Roman silver finger ring from the 1st or 2nd Century AD, although its gemstone is missing.

A good local example of the portable antiquities scheme working well here in Wales, you might think. However, then the ring was declared to be treasure trove and placed in the care of the British Museum, whose officials eventually offered it to the Winding House, a former colliery building, as the relevant local museum. The question is not so much that the ring was declared treasure trove, but, that it was sent to the British Museum in London, when we have a perfectly good institution more that's more than capable of assessing the artefact's significance in the shape of the National Museum in Cardiff.

ANCIENT GOLD RETURNS TO WALES

In 1899, James Marston wedged a metal bar into a crevice on Gwastedyn Hill as he tried to disturb a fox for his dog to chase. He discovered a Roman ring, bracelet and necklet from the 1st or 2nd Century. The second gold discovery was made a generation later by 17-year-old labourer John Smith as he helped to plough a field in 1954. The Bronze Age bracelets (from the National Museum in Cardiff) and Roman jewellery (from the British Museum in London) are on loan to the CARAD Rhayader Museum and Gallery. The exhibition has received a grant from Cyfoeth Cymru Gyfan (also known as the Sharing Treasures Scheme), a Welsh Government scheme to display treasures from national collections in regional museums. This is good news, but, one has to wonder how much archaeological plunder found in or from Wales can be found tucked away in the dusty draws of various museums (in Cardiff) and in London. Isn't it about time that much of this archaeological and historical plunder was returned to Wales, as we do actually have museums of our own where our own country's archaeological and historical treasures can and should be displayed?

DOWN AT THE DIG

 

My second and final week on the dig at on the Priory Field in Caerleon, within the walls of the Legionary Fortress, is now drawing to a close.  It's been hard, hot and pretty exhausting but very interesting work as well as being fun. 

Final excavations are taking place this year, and will last up until mid September, involving staff and students from University College London (UCL) and Cardiff University and volunteers.

The dig is open to the public and there are guided tours of the excavation site, at 11am and 2.30pm daily, except for Monday's. You can keep up to date with progress via the excavation blog.

DOWN AT THE DIG...

So now it's back to reality with a bump, and playing catchup. I have spent the last four days working as a volunteer (with trowel, mattock, shovel, bucket and wheelbarrow) on an archaeological dig on the Priory field, inside the Legionary Fortress at Caerleon - so no radio, no TV, no politics, etc.

So far it's been a fairly a typical August with sunshine, drizzle, humidity and gales - am pretty tired, but, it has been worth it and great fun. The dig is part of on-going excavations, which, have over the last four years, helped to identify eight previously unknown barrack blocks, three large granaries, a monumental metal workshop and a very large store building. You can keep up to date with progress via the excavation blog.

Final excavations are taking place this year, and last up until mid September, inside the Roman fortress involving staff and students from University College London (UCL) and Cardiff University. The dig is open to the public and there are guided tours of the excavation site, at 11am and 2.30pm daily, except for Monday's.

Back to reality, have I missed anything whilst i have been away...?