Welsh Journals

Archaeological Notes LLANDAFF, CARDIFF (ST 146 789) In the course of digging a pipe-trench, associated with work on a house extension, Mr J Healan of Riversdale, Llandaff, uncovered part of an Early Bronze Age cist in which he found a near complete beaker and human bones. Mr Healan invited the National Museum of Wales to investigate this cist grave. An excavation was carried out in September 1991, soon after the original discovery had been made. Though now located within a modern housing development, the site, from the turn of the century until 1983, had been given over to allotments. Geologically the burial was sited on alluvial sediments deposited by the River Taff which now runs less than 50 m to the east. The grave was located beneath the paved drive of Mr Healan's house, close to his neighbour's boundary, and consequently the excavation was limited to the immediate area of the cist. The remains of the cist, broken at the north end by the pipe-trench, formed what can best be described as a 'lean-to' structure. A stone slab, measuring 0.75 by0.70m, set on edge, formed the west side ofthe cist and supported acapstone, 1. 10 by 0.95 m across, which rested at an angle of 30 ° to the horizontal. Both the slabs were of 'Radyr Stone', which outcrops 0.25 km upstream of Riversdale. Within the cist, excavation revealed parts of a disarticulated human skeleton of which less than 20 per cent remained. Charcoal was associated with some of the bones. In addition to the beaker discovered by Mr Healan, a copper awl and a primary flint flake accompanied the burial. The 'Southern' form of the beaker is in keeping with other beaker vessels from Glamorgan. It is hoped that radiocarbon dating of the bone will provide an absolute date for the burial. In addition, analysis of the sediments both filling and surrounding the cist may confirm that the unusual 'lean-to' form is accidental and that river erosion has removed three of the side slabs of what was originally a conventional rectangular beaker cist grave. K. S. Brassil for the National Museum of Wales NOTE The excavation was undertaken by the author with the assistance of Miss E.A. Walker and Miss S. Lamb of the Department of Archaeology and Numismatics.