Dogs used as “symbolic guardians” in Iron Age Wales

Cardiff University researchers have made new discoveries Photo credit: Cardiff University

Researchers at Cardiff University have unearthed new discoveries at an ongoing archaeological dig in the Vale of Glamorgan.

The team from Cardiff University’s school of History, Archaeology and Religion have expanded their work at visitor attraction Fonmon Castle.

As part of their work, they have already uncovered a cemetery which was helped to shed new light on life in Early Medieval Wales (AD400-1100).

It showed evidence of ritual feasting, with around half of the 80 burials being recovered so far and featured an episode of BBC programme Digging for Britain.

Now, findings from a new trench have revealed part of an Iron Age settlement, located just to the west of the castle - meaning the site dates back much further than was previously thought.

Researchers found the skeleton of a dog deliberately placed in the entrance ditch and believe it was likely put there as part of a ritual to protect the settlement.

Dr Andy Seaman, Reader in early mediaeval archaeology at Cardiff University’s School of History, Archaeology and Religion, said: “The dog was at the entranceway into the enclosure. The skeleton was complete, and it had been placed very deliberately at the bottom of the ditch.

“This is something we see in other Iron Age sites in Britain, and we believe it relates to the role of dogs as symbolic guardians.”

Dr Seaman added that the skeleton had been dated to 700 to 500 BC, the early Iron Age, from which there are “comparatively few sites in Wales, so it’s an important discovery”.

The team will analyse all the other finds from the preliminary trench, including a small amount of pottery and many animal bones, which suggest waste deposits from the settlement.

These will tell the team about the economy, farming and environment at the time the settlement was in use.

Dr Seaman continued: “It adds a lot to our kind of understanding of the history of the site, pushing it back beyond the Roman period into prehistory. It shows that the castle was not the first community to exploit that particular part of the landscape.”

There have also been finds at the cemetery that suggests many people buried there have local origins, found an individual with extremely short stature.