YMDDIRIEDOLAETH ARCHAEOLEGOL CLWYD-POWYS CLWYD-POWYS ARCHAEOLOGICAL TRUST 1 Prehistoric studies: research, presentation and interpretation Abstracts Recent work on the caves of north-east Wales Richard Hankinson, Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust CPAT has been investigating archaeological caves in north-east Wales for the past few years as part of a Cadw-funded programme designed to assess their potential importance. Work started with the compilation of a gazetteer of caves thought to have archaeological potential from a range of written and web-based sources. This information was then used to target small-scale 2 excavations with the aim of better understanding the nature of the resource. The talk will discuss the results of the project and why this is seen as an important avenue of study. Some of the background to earlier investigations of caves in the area will also be described and how the recent work has informed our understanding of the methods and priorities of the early excavators. Settling Down, Moving on and Coming Back – Mesolithic, Neolithic and Early Bronze Age Site Use at Llanfaethlu, Anglesey Catherine Rees, C.R. Archaeology Works at Llanfaethlu, Anglesey began in October 2014 and earlier phases of this ongoing project uncovered three Early Neolithic longhouses cut by a Middle Neolithic pit group. This discovery was of national importance and is the first multi-house settlement of this date found in North Wales making it arguably Wales' oldest village. Whilst the houses have some striking resemblances to those at Llandygai near Bangor and Parc Cybi, Holyhead there is a strong resemblance to Irish sites where a recurring pattern of two or three buildings clustered together is evident. This location had been chosen as a focal point to return to over a period of several centuries, and in order to position the pit group where it was it would seem that two of the houses must have been visible above ground – either as an abandoned, decaying structure or as earthworks. This talk will provide an overview of these previous works and an update on further amazing discoveries made at Llanfaethlu over the past year. Neolithic ‘Halls of the Dead’ at Dorstone Hill: The story so far Professor Julian Thomas, University of Manchester Awaiting for abstract The Third Radiocarbon Revolution and its Application in North West Wales”. Jane Kenney, Gwynedd Archaeological Trust The development of radiocarbon dating and its application to archaeology in the 1950s caused a revolution in the discipline. Calibration of the dates was heralded as a new revolution in the technique and the recent application of Bayesian statistics to radiocarbon dates has launched a third revolution, allowing near historical precision in dating Prehistory. The site of Parc Bryn Cegin, near Bangor, was one of the first in Wales on which this technique was used extensively. This talk looks at how Bayesian statistics were used to analyse the dates on prehistoric features ranging from the early Neolithic to the late Iron Age and considers the problems and advantages of the technique. 3 Recent work at Moel-y-Gaer Bodfari, Denbighshire. Gary Lock and John Pouncett, University of Oxford. Moel-y-Gaer Bodfari is the lowest of the Clwydian hillforts, positioned outside the village of Bodfari, five miles north-east of Denbigh. It is strategically located overlooking the confluence of the Rivers Chwiler and Clwyd with an enclosed area of c 2ha. This paper will describe six seasons of work at Bodfari, the first in 2011 focussed on earthwork and geophysical survey and the rest on excavation. This is an ongoing project with several more seasons of work planned. The survey work at Bodfari was designed to establish a methodological approach to North Welsh hillforts. LiDAR was used as a basis for the earthwork survey with successful and interesting results which together with a range of geophysical techniques have resulted in a rich data-set forming the basis for comparative analysis. Excavation, based on survey results, has focussed on a section of rampart and a roundhouse, the former being multi-phased and complex. Interim interpretations will be discussed together with other aspects of the project such as outreach and artists in residence. It is hoped that this approach of intensive survey with limited targeted excavation will show a way forward for fieldwork within the Clwydian hillforts more generally. See: http://www.arch.ox.ac.uk/bodfari.html Roundhouse Studies: research and interpretation. Rachel Pope, University of Liverpool This presentation details recent research into British prehistoric houses, including recently published work on the radiocarbon-dated Scottish roundhouse sequence. This work provides new insights into associated traditions of land use and prehistoric agriculture; and raises important questions regarding the origins of roundhouse settlement in Britain, and major episodes of social change at 800 BC and 400 BC. 4.