Llyn Cerrig Bach is an area of marshland that was once the site of a natural lake, situated on the west coast of Anglesey. It is also the site of the largest iron age hoard discovered to date in Wales. It is important not only because of the craftsmanship of the artefacts discovered in the hoards but because of its significance as a ritual Celtic site.
The Iron Age Hoard at Llyn Cerrig Bach
The hoard was discovered in 1942 during the construction of an RAF airfield on the site of the former lake. After the site was drained, numerous animal bones as well as 150 bronze and iron objects were discovered in the peat. The metal work shows off the skill of Celtic craftsmen and the intricacy of Celtic art.
The items of the hoard were all high status and included:
- Weapons including iron swords, fragments of shields, spears
- Fragments of Chariots and horse gear
- 2 iron slave chains
- Tools such as sickles
- Currency bars
- A trumpet
- Cauldrons
- Decorative bronzes e.g. most notable a crescent plaque decorated with a bird motif.
The objects were made in a variety of different locations. Some have been identified as originating in the south west of Britain, particularly Somerset, others to the south east. Some items came from Ireland. They have all been dated between the second century BC and the mid first century AD. The deposits ceased around the time of the Roman invasion of Britain.
The hoard can be seen on display in the National Museum of Wales and are scheduled for re examination by the Board of Celtic Studies.
The Ritual Significance of Llyn Cerrig Bach
Llyn Cerrig Bach is believed by many archaeologists to be a site of ritual significance to the Celts. In the late Iron Age, it would have been a dramatic spot, a natural lake surrounded by rocky landscape. The lake itself was overlooked by a 3.3 high cliff, a perfect viewing spot and place to make ritual deposits.
The Roman writer Tacitus described Anglesey, then known as Mona as a druidic centre of Britain. Islands were significant to the Celts. Celtic mythology links islands with the otherworld and the Classical geographer Strabo describes a Celtic ‘holy island’ peopled by Priestesses off the River Seine in the in first century BC. Bodies of water as places of ritual depositions are also known from across Celtic Europe.
The hoard has features that suggest the objects were offerings to the gods. Each functional item had been deliberately put out of use. Swords had been bent and equipment and vehicles dismantled so they could never again be put to earthly use, making them fitting gifts to the gods. This is a practice noted at other European prehistoric and Celtic ritual sites. The bones added to the hoard could have been the results of added animal sacrifices.
The exact significance of Llyn Cerrig Bach as a ritual site is debatable. Some archaeologists feel that because many of the hoard items came from a wide geographical location, this suggests that the site was of national rather than just local ritual significance. This cannot be established with any certainty; the hoard could equally have been offered as a sacrifice of highly prized items to the local gods.
It is also speculated that the hoard represents a specific sacrifice, with many archaeologists linking it to the druid’s last stand against the roman army on Mona. Was the hoard an emergency offering to the gods?
Sources:
The Religious Symbolism of Llyn Cerrig Bach and Other Early Sacred Water Sites by Dr Miranda Green
Lloyd Laing ‘Celtic Britain’ (1984) Paladin: Granada Publishing
