Swansea Bay: Trackways to the past In 2009 a more carefully made trackway was recorded from the lower peat shelf at Brynmill. It took the form of a hurdle woven from narrow branches of oak and alder that had been trimmed by a metal axe to create straighter timbers. A simple oak peg had been driven through the hurdle panel into the underlying ground surface to hold the trackway securely in place. The entire structure was covered in a thin layer of brushwood to provide a level walking surface. A timber from the hurdle was dated to the early Bronze Age (2140 BC to 1930 BC), making this the oldest trackway identified from Swansea Bay.
RIGHT AND BELOW-top to bottom: Reconstruction drawing of a Bronze Age ‘Ewart’ type sword found on the Oystermouth peat shelf in 1941 (drawing not to scale). Cup-headed pin, more often found in Ireland, this large example is from the late Bronze Age (950BC750BC). Spear tip (late 1st millennia BC), an extremely rare ‘pegged type’ with decoration. End-winged axe (950BC-750BC). (Photos at 50% actual size) Oak peg
GR
ID
0
1.00
2.00metres
N
ABOVE: Plan of the Brynmill trackway discovered in 2009.
A large quantity of prehistoric bronze and ironwork has also been recovered from the bay including spear tips, swords, axe heads, needles, bucket handles and cloak pins. These objects may have been lost or thrown away by the people that were using them. However, we know that prehistoric people placed great ritual significance on shallow pools of water, streams and rivers. It is therefore possible that this metalwork may have been deliberately placed as part of a religious ceremony.
3