Dry Conditions In Wales Reveal Ancient Sites Buried Beneath Farmlands

Weather conditions in Wales have been particularly hot and dry, creating a unique opportunity for “archaeological aerial" explorations.

Weather conditions in Wales have been particularly hot and dry, creating a unique opportunity for "archaeological aerial" explorations.  According to the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales, "scores of long-buried archaeological sites have been revealed once again as 'cropmarks', or patterns of growth in ripening crops and parched grasslands."  It notes that one of its investigators has been "documenting known sites in the dry conditions, but also discovering hitherto lost monuments." Based on the forecast, the drought will continue for the next several weeks, allowing the aerial archaeologist time "to permanently record these discoveries for the National Monuments Record of Wales, before thunderstorms and rain wash away the markings until the next dry summer."  Thus far, a variety of ancient sites have been photographed.  They include a "prehistoric or Roman farm," "buried ramparts," and an, "almost ploughed-down medieval castle mound."