Bryn Celli Ddu & Barclodiad y Gawres

Bryn Celli Ddu

Bryn Celli Ddu is a prehistoric grave located in Anglesey, an island off the northwest coast of Wales. Like other prehistoric graves of the isles, it's a passage grave. But, it wasn't always that. The passage grave was built sometime during the Bronze Age. Prior to this construction, the site hosted a henge, a lovely henge at that. This henge at Bryn Celli Ddu, which means the mound in the dark grove in Welsh, featured a stone circle (think Stonehenge). The grave dates from around 3000 BC, but post holes for the lovely henge once thought to be contemporaneous with the grave have proved to be much older.

Rendition of the lovely henge before the construction of the grave

Barclodiad y Gawres

Barclodiad y Gawres is another prehistoric grave on the island of Anglesey. Like Bryn Celli Ddu it is a passage grave with a mound on top. Also like Bryn Celli Ddu it's Welsh meaning behind the name is much more easy to pronounce and more fun, Barclodiad y Gawres means 'apronful of the giantess' in Welsh. While Bryn Celli Ddu is fascinating for what's on top of the grave (as well as a serpent carved rock inside), Barclodiad y Gawres is cool for its internal stuff. Inside of this Neolithic grave were six stone carvings, the most recent of which was discovered just in 2001. Amazingly, the designs of these carvings match so many others in much of Neolithic Europe that it just boggles the mind. How did all these Neolithic Europeans think so much alike artistically?