Rhaglen 1 Darn Bach o Hanes

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-Darn Bach O Hanes is back.

-In the series, I'll be looking

-at many interesting stories...

-..from our near and distant past,

-from different angles.

-The van's got an MOT.

-It's ready to take me around Wales.

-My first journey

-takes me to Anglesey...

-..on the trail of a story

-that spans 2,000 years.

-In the twelfth century...

-..Gerald Of Wales called the island

-Mon, Mother Of Wales.

-Its soil was so fertile,

-it could feed all of Wales.

-I don't know about that...

-..but calling it Mon,

-Mother Of Welsh History...

-..might be more apt.

-Anglesey teems with history...

-..stretching back

-thousands of years.

-It's dotted with historical sites

-of great significance...

-..not only to Wales, but to Europe.

-There are over 120 pre-Christian

-ancient monuments on the island.

-Neolithic burial chambers like Bryn

-Celli Ddu, Barclodiad Y Gawres...

-..and many imposing standing stones.

-This is a dramatic duo.

-The Penrhos Feilw standing stones.

-Standing stones are common

-in coastal areas of Western Europe.

-But pairs like this

-are much more common in Scotland...

-..and in the Preseli Mountains

-in Pembrokeshire.

-Every pair varies

-in height and distance apart.

-These are eleven feet high

-and eleven feet apart.

-That doesn't help to tell us

-what their purpose was, of course.

-Are they part of a now-vanished

-avenue or ritual circle?

-Or did their formation

-note a stellar event...

-..at a certain time of year?

-Was it a gateway

-to the other world?

-Or did the two shadows

-fall in a certain place...

-..when the sun was low,

-at the winter solstice?

-Or are they simply a frame

-for a marvellous view of Snowdonia?

-Our Celtic ancestors in Britain,

-Ireland and Gaul erected the stones.

-Perhaps their knowledge

-was developed into a philosophy...

-..by the intellectual class...

-..the poets, judges,

-doctors, seers and priests...

-..known as druids.

-In an age when it was believed

-that the spiritual world...

-..caused storms,

-eclipses and disasters...

-..people who communed with and could

-calm these threats were powerful.

-No wonder druids

-had more authority than kings.

-There was no lack of druids

-on Anglesey 2,000 years ago.

-Back then, it was the focal point

-for Britain's druids.

-Little written evidence has survived

-about the druids' beliefs.

-But we know that water

-was very important to them.

-Wells and lakes were thought to be

-gateways to the spiritual world.

-I'm near Llanfair-yn-Neubwll,

-not far from Holyhead...

-..two places that didn't exist

-2,000 years ago.

-But to a Celt looking out

-over this marshy fenland...

-..the view would have been similar.

-The exciting fact about this site

-is that we know...

-..that our Celtic ancestors

-squelched about here, like me.

-This area, and one lake

-in particular, Llyn Cerrig Bach...

-..was an important sacred site.

-How do we know?

-Seventy years ago...

-..some of the most significant

-archaeological treasures...

-..ever found in Wales

-were discovered here.

-Perhaps they were offerings

-from the druids to the gods.

-They were bronze or iron artefacts.

-Some were finely-decorated,

-while others had a practical use.

-In about 60AD, Anglesey's druids

-had to defend themselves...

-..when the Romans

-reached the island's shores.

-The druids' status, authority and

-influence over Brythonic tribes...

-..were a significant threat

-to the Romans.

-We have reason to believe

-that making offerings to the gods...

-..in lakes and bogs like this,

-increased in times of crisis.

-Part of the Llyn Cerrig Bach

-collection was thrown there...

-..in the middle

-of the first century.

-Were the druids of Llyn Cerrig Bach

-asking for divine intervention...

-..to prevent the Roman advance?

-But the story

-of finding the treasures...

-..is as exciting

-as the treasures themselves.

-It was war

-that brought about their discovery.

-In 1941, there was only

-a small airfield in Rhosneigr.

-Churchill asked for the airstrip

-to be extended.

-But the sandy soil caused problems,

-especially in the strong winds.

-William Owen Roberts was greenkeeper

-at Rhosneigr Golf Club nearby.

-The Ministry Of War saw...

-..that he was the ideal person

-to solve their problem.

-Hi, Dewi.

-Can I have a lift?

-Can I have a lift?

-

-Yes. You can drive.

-Right.

-William Owen Roberts's daughter,

-Evelyn, still lives locally.

-Where better to meet her

-than on the golf course...

-..where her father

-spent so much time?

-How did your father

-solve the problem?

-He decided to dredge

-the peaty mud...

-..from the bed of Llyn Cerrig Bach

-to stabilize the site...

-..with its sandy soil,

-before laying down the tarmac.

-Did it have to be done suddenly?

-Did it have to be done suddenly?

-

-Yes, it was wartime.

-Yes.

-The ground became a quagmire

-where the lorry turned around.

-One day, the lorry got stuck.

-My father remembered seeing

-an old chain lying around.

-He decided to try using that.

-They attached the chain

-to the tractor and lorry.

-And it pulled the lorry out.

-At the end of the day, he thought...

-"..This is an unusual chain,

-and very strong.

-"It's special.

-"I'll take it to show to Mr Jones,

-the MOD engineer."

-He said, "Mr Roberts,

-this is very unusual.

-"I'll make a small sketch of it.

-"We'll send it

-to the museum in Cardiff."

-That's what happened.

-Within a week, the chief

-from Cardiff came to Valley.

-He told my father...

-.."You've found a 2,000-year-old

-chain from the Iron Age."

-Amazing. It dragged lorries

-out of the mud, without breaking.

-After that, my father went to work

-every day with a sack on his bike.

-He sometimes came home

-with more things he had found.

-I watched him

-put them on the kitchen table.

-He wrapped them in newspaper...

-..put them in a wooden box

-and posted them to Cardiff.

-It's amazing to think

-you had 2,000-year-old objects...

-..on your kitchen table

-when you were a child.

-I'm now standing here

-with a 20th century object.

-Maybe you should move aside.

-I've never played golf before!

-Try! Off you go.

-LAUGHTER

-Later, we hear about dodgy

-1950s conservation techniques.

-We make metal in the old way.

-And we see the treasures

-in all their glory.

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-To mark 70 years since finding

-Llyn Cerrig Bach's treasures...

-..the National Museum Of Wales

-gave permission...

-..for the priceless objects

-to leave Cardiff.

-During 2012, a few of the treasures

-returned to Anglesey.

-I'm looking forward enormously

-to seeing them for the first time.

-I also want to congratulate Oriel

-Ynys Mon on getting them here.

-Our national treasures,

-important parts of our heritage...

-..don't often leave Cardiff

-or museums in other countries.

-Hello, Pat, how are you?

-Hello, Pat, how are you?

-

-Hi, how are you?

-Pat West is Anglesey's Principal

-Officer For Museums And Culture.

-She was mainly responsible...

-..for ensuring that part

-of the collection returned here.

-The response

-has been amazing all round.

-Many of Anglesey's residents

-have visited the exhibition.

-People were glad to see them return.

-People were glad to see them return.

-

-Yes.

-And have learnt

-new things about them.

-It has also enriched

-our long-standing partnership...

-..with the National Museum.

-That's very good.

-That's very good.

-

-Yes. After you.

-Wahey!

-Here they are.

-Here they are.

-

-Here they are.

-What do you think?

-Amazing.

-We had to choose what to exhibit.

-The first thing people look at

-is the chain.

-It's so striking.

-This is the famous chain

-from Llyn Cerrig Bach.

-We know now that it's a gang chain.

-It has five sets of neck shackles...

-..connected

-by figure of eight-shaped links.

-Slavery was part of life

-in the Iron Age.

-Trading in slaves was common.

-The chain by itself tells a story.

-It's beautiful, yet cruel.

-It looks as if it's new.

-Everyone says that.

-It was well-preserved in the peat.

-There was no oxygen,

-which makes things rust quickly.

-The craftsmanship is amazing.

-It's hard to see how it was made.

-There's no join or weld.

-No. The technique is amazing.

-Talking of fine work...

-..this shield boss

-is remarkably intricate.

-Yes. When you look closely,

-you see the pattern.

-It's amazing to think

-that this was on a shield.

-Although we don't know

-its function...

-..the finest artefact

-is the crescentic plaque.

-The chain is striking,

-but there's something about this...

-..maybe because we don't know

-what it is exactly.

-Yes. It's too small to be a collar.

-We just don't know.

-The public offer their suggestions.

-Everyone can contribute.

-People feel a sense of ownership

-by offering suggestions...

-..rather than being told

-what it is by experts.

-These are examples

-of the blacksmith's important work.

-He was a man of very high status.

-Above them,

-there's something truly marvellous.

-It's hard to say by looking at it,

-but we know it's part of a horn.

-Was it the long horn

-that sounded when they went to war?

-Yes. Four were found in Ireland.

-It wasn't like that

-when it was found.

-It has been restored, has it?

-It has been restored, has it?

-

-That wouldn't happen now.

-Conservation techniques

-have changed.

-It was opened out, soldered

-and heated to recreate the shape.

-Of course, some of the original

-is lost when it's reheated.

-After seeing these objects...

-..we clearly shouldn't underestimate

-the skills of our ancestors.

-They weren't barbarians,

-but artistic and cultured people.

-Not far from Llyn Cerrig Bach...

-..Oriel Ynys Mon has built

-replica Iron Age roundhouses.

-BELLOWS

-I'm going to smelt my own copper.

-Lloyd Jones, who works on the site,

-will show me the old method.

-What is this?

-What is this?

-

-A hole in the ground.

-It's very hot. The temperature

-rises to about 1,100 degrees.

-This malachite

-comes from ore in the ground.

-Yes, from Parys Mountain

-or the Great Orme in Llandudno.

-The green colour in the rocks.

-The green colour in the rocks.

-

-Yes. Just put it on it.

-You'll see it change colour.

-Shall I sprinkle a little on it?

-Shall I sprinkle a little on it?

-

-Put it all, if you like.

-Right.

-What happens to it?

-What happens to it?

-

-The stone melts in the heat.

-The gases bond together.

-You get a lump of copper in that.

-How long does it take?

-How long does it take?

-

-Two or three hours.

-And a tired arm.

-But you'll get a good-sized lump.

-BELLOWS

-To pass the time, I met experimental

-archaeologist Dave Chapman...

-..to try out a 2,000-year-old spear.

-Well, OK, it's a replica.

-We made these from bog iron.

-We reconstructed them.

-It took us days to smelt the iron.

-It took even more days

-to make the spears.

-We think these were javelins...

-..because of the small diameter

-of the shaft...

-..where the spear goes onto it.

-We think these were thrown

-rather than used like bayonets.

-These could easily break,

-so we think they were thrown.

-Shall we have a go at throwing them?

-Shall we have a go at throwing them?

-

-Please.

-Right.

-I stick this in.

-Right, one, two, three.

-Ra-ra!

-I wouldn't like to be

-on the receiving end of that.

-It's been two or three hours now.

-Let's see what we've got.

-Is that it?

-Is that it?

-

-Yes. Put it in the water, slowly.

-Slowly!

-It steams a lot.

-There's another one for you to try.

-You can see the colour in the water.

-That's all it takes.

-That's all it takes.

-

-Simple.

-Yes. A few hours' work

-and we get metal out of stones.

-You can see the copper.

-Mind you, this needs

-a lot of processing work now.

-We put it in the fire again

-and get rid of the rubbish on it.

-Then we get the shiny copper.

-So there's a lot of work to do?

-So there's a lot of work to do?

-

-Yes.

-It's amazing how that's happened.

-You've got metal, shining there.

-Yes.

-Because it's a soft metal...

-..copper was mainly used

-to decorate iron.

-Dave is going to work the copper

-to recreate the motifs...

-..found on some

-of the Llyn Cerrig Bach artefacts.

-He starts by putting copper

-on a bed of wax to keep it in place.

-Then he heats the copper

-so he can shape it.

-The motifs are pressed

-into the copper from the back...

-..then tidied from the front.

-This technique is called repousse.

-The first archaeologist who studied

-the Llyn Cerrig Bach artefacts...

-..compared the repousse work

-with finds in other European sites.

-He was Sir Cyril Fox...

-..director of the National

-Museum Of Wales in 1942.

-Fox wrote a detailed

-and fine report...

-..about the treasures

-of Llyn Cerrig Bach.

-He raised important questions...

-..while trying to interpret

-why and when...

-..over 130 objects were thrown

-into this small lake on Anglesey.

-Ken Brassil is one of Cyril Fox's

-archaeological descendants.

-He's an Education Officer

-at the National Museum.

-He tries to interpret Fox's

-theories in a contemporary light.

-Sir Cyril's book.

-Archaeologists still revere it.

-Yes, we have great respect

-for the work...

-..of the head of archaeology

-in Wales during the 20th century.

-But things change.

-Archaeologists and historians

-have focused...

-..on the story of the objects

-from Llyn Cerrig Bach.

-We've studied the metals,

-the iron and bronze, in detail.

-We've found the forge

-and traces of the smith...

-..in the hills of Gwynedd.

-That throws new light

-on objects like the slave chain.

-It was previously thought

-to come from south-east England.

-Now, it can be said

-to come from nearer to here.

-Maybe. It's always the same story.

-As far as explaining it goes,

-the past isn't perfect.

-We're never totally sure.

-It's a good, positive sign

-that the story is changing.

-What always fires my imagination...

-..is wondering what was happening

-when the objects were thrown here.

-The performance?

-Yes.

-We need to use the imagination.

-Look at us here today.

-The weather is quite nice.

-That rock isn't bare.

-Was the rock bare at that time?

-Was the water calm? Was it dark?

-Were there artificial sounds,

-like trumpets?

-Was there a special carnyx here,

-which is linked to the Iron Age?

-It's interesting

-to imagine the druids here...

-..with priests officiating...

-..poets chanting

-and seers speaking with the gods.

-Who else would have been watching?

-Were there people in the chains

-when they were thrown in?!

-They're interesting questions.

-Let's look at the druids first.

-Were all druids male?

-Were all druids male?

-

-There were women too.

-Are you sure?

-Are you sure?

-

-Yes, there is evidence.

-Good. There are questions

-we can never answer.

-We need imagination...

-..but we can use evidence

-that is still around us.

-What do we do in the Eisteddfod?

-Who is there? The intelligentsia?

-Everyone watches the people

-who are dressed in a certain way.

-But we respect people

-who are creative...

-..who have energy and inspiration.

-We must always apply imagination

-to the evidence...

-..and blend it with wisdom,

-as we've tried to do today.

-That's a marvellous insight.

-It's been a pleasure to listen

-to you sharing it with me.

-Thank you.

-Llyn Cerrig Bach's artefacts

-are described as treasures...

-..because they're a priceless part

-of our heritage in Wales.

-That heritage goes back

-much further than St David.

-To study that age,

-when nothing was written...

-..artefacts like the ones

-found in this lake are vital.

-They're a window on the beliefs,

-customs and lives...

-..of our Celtic ancestors.

-But more than that, these artefacts

-are important for the future too.

-They have forced archaeologists

-to think outside of the box...

-..and consider things

-that still exist today.

-Not buried objects...

-...but things that still exist

-in our culture, poetry and myths...

-..and even in the landscape.

-Those things are still there

-for us to discover...

-..to touch again

-and reconnect with them...

-..if only we open our minds

-and tune in.

-S4C Subtitles by Gwead

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