ROMAN and Bronze Age artefacts have been discovered in a series of ancient grave sites in the Vale of Glamorgan.
A Bronze Age grave group including a small gold penannular ring and fragments of a burnt wooden comb was discovered by Rubicon Heritage Services (Red River Archaeology Group).
The ancient items were found during excavations in St Nicholas and Bonvilston on July 28, 2017.
This was part of the archaeological work ahead of the A4426 Five Mile Lane improvements scheme funded by the Welsh Government and delivered by Vale of Glamorgan Council.
The two items were found alongside a human cremation burial in a small burial pit.
The burial was carefully recorded, before the burial and artefacts were removed. A licence was obtained from the Ministry of Justice, giving permission to remove the ancient human remains.
The gold penannular ring, just 1.1cm in diameter, is expertly made and decorated with a finely worked chevron or herringbone pattern.
It is an early example of a class of object called a hair-ring, so-called as it is thought that it may have been used to decorate the hair.
The fragmentary wooden comb has eight narrow and parallel teeth surviving and is now in a highly fragile state.
It is an extremely rare survival of an organic artefact, its survival in the soil having been helped by its burnt charcoal state.
These two artefacts, dating to the Middle Bronze Age (1300-1150 BC), were carefully selected as grave goods by grieving mourners, to accompany the deceased, cremated person to the afterlife.
Adam Gwilt, principal curator for prehistory at Museum Wales said: “This cremation burial gives us a glimpse of life and death in Bronze Age times.
"The gold ring is a very early, well-made and small example of its type, offering new insight into the development of hair-rings as a form of early jewellery across Britain and Ireland.
"This grave is just one example of a much wider wealth of prehistoric burial evidences now being discovered across the Vale of Glamorgan, indicating the richness, diversity and significance of this archaeology.”
Earlier the same year (in April), a Roman burial was excavated by the same team firm, as part of the archaeological work ahead of A4426 improvements scheme.
The burial contained a silver crossbow brooch, the remains of an iron sword and hobnails from a pair of shoes.
The brooch being of silver and more than 300 years old meant that the finds came within the remit of the Treasure Act.
Crossbow brooches are a reasonably common type of Roman bow brooch well dated to the late third and fourth centuries AD.
Most examples are of copper alloy although examples made of silver, or even gold, are known.
The sword is an example of the longer type of sword used by the Roman army in the third and fourth centuries AD, which matches well with the dating of the brooch.
Evan Chapman, senior Curator: Archaeology at Museum Wales said: “As far as I am aware this is the first example of a Roman silver crossbow brooch to be found in Wales.
"The presence of the sword would support the military connection in this instance.
"Whether directly connected to the Roman army, or not, the brooch being of silver certainly suggests an individual of elite status.”
The items were declared treasure on Tuesday, July 11, by area coroner for South Wales Central, Patricia Morgan.
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