Monday 12th March

This was our first day’s work, following an initial meeting last week at Lewis School Pengam. 

First of all we went to look at Maen Cattwg, just outside Gelligaer village. This is one of the few cup-marked stones known already in Glamorgan, and definitely the best. 

Initial meeting at Lewis School Pengam

Archaeologists from the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historic Monument in Wales counted 40 cup-marks when they surveyed in 1960 for the Glamorgan Inventory. Some of them are quite deep, but others are very faint. At least some of them have become shallower than they were originally, because flakes of the sandstone that make up Maen Cattwg have broken off through weathering.

We then went up onto the common to look at the Bronze Age cairns on and around its highest point, Pen Garnbugail, and also to see last summer’s cup-marked stone. This has only one cup-mark.

Having got all the background, we will start on the proper survey work tomorrow. Hopefully, the weather will be as nice as today!