Objects dating back up to 4,000 years have been found underneath a park in Cardiff.
Archaeologists made the discovery underneath what has been dubbed the “oldest house” in the Welsh capital, known as the roundhouse.
A team from Cardiff University has been working with members of the local community to uncover some of Caerau and Ely’s pre-historic past beneath Trelai Park.
Dr Oliver Davis is a senior lecturer in the university’s archaeology department. He is also co-director of the Caerau and Ely Rediscovering (CAER) Heritage Project.
Dr Davis told Sky News the project had uncovered items from the early Bronze Age after the roundhouse was unearthed last year.
“We’ve got below the houses and suddenly we’ve found there’s stuff…which must relate to activities or events of people before the houses were there,” he said.
“So it must be the early Bronze Age, so perhaps even 4,000 years ago.”
‘Rich story’
In the next week and a half, the team hope to uncover more about what life was like for the people who lived in Caerau and Ely several millennia ago.
“What kinds of activities they did is what we’re going to find out over the next week and a half,” Dr Davis said.
“We’re going to find out a little bit about what kind of things happened and we’re just getting tiny glimpses of that story at the moment.”
More recent discoveries at the site include items from the Second World War when the park was used as a training ground for the home guard.
Objects have also been discovered from when it was a racecourse in the early 20th century.
Dr Oliver Davis. Pic: Cardiff University
“We’ve got this really rich story from modern times right back into the early Bronze Age,” Dr Davis added.
“I’m passionate about pre-history in particular. But actually, it’s the community involvement that makes me get up in the morning.
“It’s seeing people come and just the joy on their faces of being involved in something. An archaeological dig creates a community.”
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Some of the artefacts previously found at the site are on display at the Cardiff Story Museum.
The team will remain at the site for the next week and a half and welcome any visitors who wish to see them at work.
