The mass grave was hidden beneath the sand dunes at Whitesands Bay beach in Pembrokeshire, southwest Wales, for more than 1,000 years until it was exposed by storms and natural erosion. This location is believed to have been a trading post of a Christian community in the Middle Ages.

Researchers from the Dyfed Archaeological Trust and Britain’s University of Sheffield are racing against time to protect this ancient burial site from encroaching seawater, as well as uncover what other secrets the dunes can hold. still hidden.

“We have found about 200 skeletons and 90 of them have been removed from the site in the last three weeks. This is really important because it is a rare find in Wales,” excavation team leader Jenna Smith from the Dyfed Archaeological Trust emphasized.

Analysis by the University of Sheffield showed that the remains belonged to men, women and children of all ages. Some skeletons lie in tombs lined and covered with stone slabs or white quartz pebbles. It was a common burial tradition throughout western England during the Middle Ages.

Radiocarbon dating indicates that the burial site was in use from the 6th to the 11th centuries. It may be related to St Patrick’s Chapel, an 11th-century ruin discovered appeared in 1924 also at Whitesands Bay.

Dyfed Archaeological Trust added that there is still more to excavate on this beach, including a strange stone structure that predates the mass grave. The team hopes the remains will reveal more information about the people buried here, such as their year of birth and diet.