WELSH “LUXOR.”

Shannon News, 11 December 1923, Page 2

WELSH “LUXOR.”

BURIAL MOUND FINDS. SCANDINAVIAN AXE AMID ASHES. What is* described as a “Welsh Luxor” on a small scale, has just been explored in the remote inland parish of Garthbeibio, in Montgomershire. The exploratiou was undertaken by Mr Mortimer Wheeler, professor of archaeology at Cardiff University, on behalf of the National Museum of Wales.

From a funeral mound, which was discovered some time ago by workmen, engaged in building a bridge, Professor Wheeler took a quantity of human remains! that had clearly been cremated. With the remains were found a pierced stone axe, a hammer, a flint arrow-head, and a flint scraper.

The scraper had evidently been used for scraping skins and hides, and with the other articles, had been, Professor Wheeler explained, buried with the dead for use in the next world. Professor Wheeler regards the axe as the most interesting discovery.

v ‘lt is a very unusual type to find in Wales,” he said, “ and was possibly derived from Scandinavia.

“I do not want, to express definite opinions yet, but it at least suggests Scandinavian influence in Wales at a,n earlier period than is suggested by previous discoveries. “I am afraid the human remains are too fragmentary for us to get any definite conclusions from them, but I have not yet carefully sifted and examined what I have removed.

“The burial dates from an early period in cremating the dead, and, in addition to the remains in the tomb, cremated remains of a secondary burla. 1 outside the tomb were found.”

Experts of the Royal College of Surgeons and of the British Museum are to examine the remains with a view of solving several problems relating to prehistoric man in Wales.