Bronze age grave goods from Bedd Branwen burial site, Anglesey

Description

Ear bones which were discovered at the burial site known as 'Bedd Branwen' [Branwen's Grave], near the river Alaw, Llanbabo, Anglesey.

By 1600 B.C. cremation had become the normal means of human burial. Following the cremation ceremony, the ashes and bones were either gathered and buried in a hole in the ground or were left on the surface. More attention was paid to the ashes on some occasions and they were placed in containers such as pottery urns. Sometimes items such as tools, weapons or personal ornaments were burnt and/or buried with the deceased. On rare occasions in north Wales, the ear bones of children were also buried in accessory vessels near the cremation urns. The extraction of ear bones from the skull was a determined act as they are difficult to locate. There were three instances of this peculiar practice at Bedd Branwen where ear bones were found in three separate accessory pots.