Bryn Celli Ddu
Bryn Celli Ddu, or the Mound in the Dark Grove in English, is the best-known prehistoric monument on Anglesey. Like many prehistoric tombs, it was built to protect and as a mark of respect for the remains of ancestors.
The monument was once a henge or ritual enclosure consisting of an inner ditch with a circle of upright stones, the ditch can still be seen today. At a later date the henge became a passage tomb, a type of burial monument.
Today, Bryn Celli Ddu consists of a passage that leads to a polygonal stone chamber. Human bones, quartz, flint arrowheads, a stone bead and limpet and mussel shells have all been found here.
The most fascinating part of the tomb is the way that it has been aligned to allow shafts of light from the rising sun into the inner burial chamber. At dawn during the midsummer solstice, light from the sun penetrates down the passageway and lights up the chamber, leading experts to believe this was meant to bring light and warmth to ancestors.
This incredible piece of Neolithic history can be found by following a footpath from a carpark just a short distance away.
Soak up the sights at this prehistoric landmark, Bryn Celli Ddu…
Image Credits: Otter – CC BY-SA 4.0