Project

Excavation of Remains, Barry, Wales

Location

Barry, Wales

Client

The Vale of Glamorgan

Business Sectors

Environment

Services (Technical Disciplines)

• Excavation
• Detailed Analysis

Our Role:

The Vale of Glamorgan council in Wales hired Rubicon Heritage Services to assess a road they wanted to be straightened.

The project led to the discovery of an extensive trove of archaeological artifacts and hundreds of graves dating back thousands of years. Rubicon discovered a Roman-era mercenary buried with his sword and a mysterious beheaded skeleton.

Rubicon is undertaking a detailed analysis of the remain, checking for family links to the bodies, signs of diseases or injuries, or clues about diets.

Results:

In one section of the five-mile road was a collection of Roman artifacts and several skeletons; One is believed to be a mercenary, buried with a large sword and a military broach, dated to the period that the Roman Empire fell apart in Britain. Nearby was another skeleton of a decapitated man, buried with his head by his feet.

In another excavated section of the road revealed a burial site from a later period that also raised many questions.

In the middle of a field lies a once-hidden medieval burial ground, uncovered by Rubicon, that holds 450 bodies.

Project Objectives/ Outcomes

Rubicon has released an e-book detailing the project called the “Five Mile Lane,” which describes what has been found so far, including Bronze Age cremations, an arrowhead, and a 3000-year-old roundhouse.

The detailed findings will be published at the end of 2022.

Geoscience Ireland Contact | Colm Moloney(colm.moloney@rubiconheritage.com)