In early March Jessica hopped over to north Wales to discuss sampling with regional experts Dr Frances Lynch of Bangor University, Jane Kenney of Gwynedd Archaeological Trust, and Cat Rees and Matt Jones of C.R. Archaeology. There are such striking similarities with Ireland in the Early and Middle Neolithic – in both regions fairly substantial timber houses are followed by much more ephemeral scatters of pits and hearths. There was lots of discussion about what this shift in settlement remains might mean, as well as a chance to drool over the stunning Middle Neolithic Mortlake pottery from Cat and Matt’s site at Llanfaethlu, Anglesey. Many very highly-decorated vessels were recovered from pits overlying the earlier houses at this site and these will hopefully yield some exciting information into subsistence and animal husbandry during the mid-late 4th millennium BC.
However, the most impressive ceramic vessel was probably the one used to serve up Jessica’s mid-morning cup of tea! PTP is really looking forward to further research in Wales over the summer.
Passage Tomb People 