Very interesting to hear the different perspectives and ideas. Such a beautiful site to work on 😍 Great job presenting by Maiya too - like a total pro 👏
I think those ramparts were to stop the naighbours pinching their livestock. That was their favourite hobby in ireland, and it stands to reason they did the same in wales. Size was to intimidate to deter attacks and also as practical defence of course. They wouldnt have wasted time building them otherwise.
The ramparts probably would have been higher when new, and with palisades on the top, partially as a general defensive display of "Don't try it, we're well defended", but, also, probably more as a "We're here, we're strong, we're prosperous, come and trade with us" advertising to anyone passing by, on the land and on the sea. Cheers to the Team. Thanks for sharing with us!
Excellent question - we do have a reconstruction of both the coastline and what the site would have looked like on the way. We'll be sure to share it as soon as it's ready! In the meantime, you can visit our project page to see all of our discoveries: digventures.com/projects/caerfai/
I think part of the problem with their use is that the word 'fort' is used as the name....why would you have a fort, for defense. Maybe promontory settlement would be a better definition
You can get a pretty good view of the ramparts from the sea at 1:52 and 2:06. The angle is higher than a ship's perspective as drones must fly at least 50m over people and we don't own a boat.
With the clans clashing and new "kings" popping up all around the shoot, it's not surprising that defensive ditches and ramparts were built as standard...a bit late to dig them when the enemy's in sight, but it wouldn't take much to bolster them if the main parts dug already. As to the "INDUSTRIAL", I think that tag is a little misleading as ALL of life back then was hard work. In a community you had to designate task like weaving to a household or you would have to rely on skins/leathers, so all homes likely doubled up as a "job" that was needed for self-sufficiency. The hearth could have also doubled as a roasting fire for the ore.
Pretty much everyone who spoke on the video was either a qualified archaeologist or a student on an archaeology degree course, so I´m really not sure what you are on about.
You bring up a very good and valid question. Our dig at Caerfai was not for profit and was focussed on learning as much as we can about this at-risk archaeological site (before it drops into the sea!) This dig was made possible by our supportive community, and because of them, we were able to add much more to our knowledge of the past. We have a team of excellent supervisors making sure that everyone learns how to carefully excavate and record archaeology, all while making this data open access. We believe everyone should be able to participate in archaeology - either online, or in person. You check out all of our dig records and finds here: digventures.com/projects/caerfai/
Fantastic video, thanks for uploading!
Very interesting to hear the different perspectives and ideas. Such a beautiful site to work on 😍 Great job presenting by Maiya too - like a total pro 👏
I think those ramparts were to stop the naighbours pinching their livestock. That was their favourite hobby in ireland, and it stands to reason they did the same in wales. Size was to intimidate to deter attacks and also as practical defence of course. They wouldnt have wasted time building them otherwise.
Definitely want to join a dig one day. It’s on my list, when the time is right/I have spare money for it.
The ramparts probably would have been higher when new, and with palisades on the top, partially as a general defensive display of "Don't try it, we're well defended", but, also, probably more as a "We're here, we're strong, we're prosperous, come and trade with us" advertising to anyone passing by, on the land and on the sea. Cheers to the Team. Thanks for sharing with us!
Excellent. Can I share this for my friends to see on FB and Twitter?
Of course you can! 💚
Is it known what the coastline looked like in the iron age?
Excellent question - we do have a reconstruction of both the coastline and what the site would have looked like on the way. We'll be sure to share it as soon as it's ready!
In the meantime, you can visit our project page to see all of our discoveries: digventures.com/projects/caerfai/
I think part of the problem with their use is that the word 'fort' is used as the name....why would you have a fort, for defense. Maybe promontory settlement would be a better definition
so...why not a view from the sea to show the ramparts ?
You can get a pretty good view of the ramparts from the sea at 1:52 and 2:06. The angle is higher than a ship's perspective as drones must fly at least 50m over people and we don't own a boat.
Those are from spindlewhorls not for looms.
With the clans clashing and new "kings" popping up all around the shoot, it's not surprising that defensive ditches and ramparts were built as standard...a bit late to dig them when the enemy's in sight, but it wouldn't take much to bolster them if the main parts dug already.
As to the "INDUSTRIAL", I think that tag is a little misleading as ALL of life back then was hard work. In a community you had to designate task like weaving to a household or you would have to rely on skins/leathers, so all homes likely doubled up as a "job" that was needed for self-sufficiency.
The hearth could have also doubled as a roasting fire for the ore.
Both defensive and identifying themselves as a settlement, how you can deny that it had a defensive function is beyond me.
I can’t help but wonder if archaeological digs, with laypeople, for profit, isn’t a denigration of the past and what we could learn???
Pretty much everyone who spoke on the video was either a qualified archaeologist or a student on an archaeology degree course, so I´m really not sure what you are on about.
You bring up a very good and valid question. Our dig at Caerfai was not for profit and was focussed on learning as much as we can about this at-risk archaeological site (before it drops into the sea!)
This dig was made possible by our supportive community, and because of them, we were able to add much more to our knowledge of the past.
We have a team of excellent supervisors making sure that everyone learns how to carefully excavate and record archaeology, all while making this data open access. We believe everyone should be able to participate in archaeology - either online, or in person.
You check out all of our dig records and finds here: digventures.com/projects/caerfai/