The archaeology of Grassholm Island, Pembrokeshire

Davis, Oliver ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6585-7457 2012. The archaeology of Grassholm Island, Pembrokeshire. Studia Celtica 46 (1) , pp. 1-10.

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Abstract

This paper draws together the results of previous studies, including unpublished archive material and new aerial photographs, to produce the first full description and archaeological map of all of the known remains on Grassholm Island. The name is Scandinavian in origin. Combining aerial photographic evidence with earlier ground survey and excavation has revealed a much more extensive settlement on Grassholm than previously realized. However, the extent of the archaeological remains is still not clear since the mud nests of the gannets now render the structural remains on the west of the island invisible. Surface pottery finds, suggests initial occupation on the island in the Middle or Late Iron Age. Similar, small, later prehistoric, roundhouses linked to field boundaries are paralleled on nearby Skomer. Occupation may have continued into the medieval period. The function of settlement is at present difficult to determine. One possibility is that the (medieval) settlement could have been an undocumented eremitic ecclesiastical site or a retreat for an ascetic hermit.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	History, Archaeology and Religion
Subjects:	C Auxiliary Sciences of History > CC Archaeology
Publisher:	University of Wales Press
Last Modified:	31 Oct 2022 10:33
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/85315

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