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Caernarfon Castle, Wales. Source: peresanz / Adobe Stock.

Why Wales is the Place to Go for Medieval Castles (Video)

The rich history of Wales can be explored though its numerous medieval castles. William the Conqueror's conquest of England in 1066 left the resilient Welsh tribes unconquered for two centuries. By...
Tŷ Hyll (The Ugly House) near Betws-Y-Coed, inspired by the one night house tradition Source: Steve Daniels / CC BY SA 2.0

The One Night House: Squatters from Welsh Folklore

The story of the one night house, or tŷ unnos, is something heard from a friend or relative. The Welsh custom is a quaint tradition with interesting roots. Oral history is keeping the concept alive,...
William, the new Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales visiting Sweden in 2018. Source: Frankie Fouganthin / CC BY-SA 4.0

Why is William’s New Prince of Wales Title So Significant?

In King Charles III’s first speech to the nation, he made an announcement that was fully expected, but still significant. The new king confirmed that he’d named his oldest son William as the new...
Milky way seen from a grassy summit in, Nantlle Valley in Gwynedd, Wales.( Chin / Adobe Stock)

Astrophysics - The Origins Of The Zodiac In Wales

Astrophysics indicate the origin of the Zodiac may just be found within the Star Maps of Gwynedd, one of several counties or administrative districts in North Wales. Thousands of years ago Gwynedd...
The Pillar of Eliseg is just one monument that bears witness to the Romanitas of early medieval Wales. Source: Public domain

Romanitas in Early Medieval Wales: The Evidence of Latin Standing Stones

There are very few texts that survive from early medieval Wales, an era spanning the moment when the Romans left Wales until the Normans arrived. This is one of the reasons that historians have...
Monumental Discovery! More of the Stonehenge Origin Story Comes to Light

Monumental Discovery! More of the Stonehenge Origin Story Comes to Light

Are you familiar with the monoliths at Waun Mawn? Maybe not, but a team of researchers believes that the dismantled stone circle in the Preseli Hills of west Wales is extremely significant. They have...
Caernarfon Castle Dig Reveals More Ancient Secrets

Caernarfon Castle Dig Reveals More Ancient Secrets

In January 2019, a team of archaeologists from the University of Salford launched a large-scale excavation at Caernarfon Castle, one of Wales’s most famous historical sites. This grand and...
30 Years of Plastic Age Relics Overshadow Iron Age Heritage Site

30 Years of Plastic Age Relics Overshadow Iron Age Heritage Site

The Plastic Age is a term some scholars suggest we use to refer to the modern, plastic dominated times in which we live. Plastic usage and littering is also linked to the Anthropocene – the...
Wales Flag on Blue Sky.

How the Welsh Flag Became the Coolest Flag in the World

One of the most striking national flags is that of Wales. In an online poll, it was voted the coolest of all the over 200 national flags around the globe. Its main feature is a dragon that is meant...
Modern Welsh love spoon on flower petals

The Sweet Symbolism of a Welsh Love Spoon

Roses are red Violets are blue, Presenting a spoon Means I love you While one often thinks of presenting his/her loved ones with flowers or candy as a gesture of romance, it was once more common to...
Oil painting of Caernarfon Castle in 1846 by Hugh Hughes, from the National Library of Wales. Photo source: Public domain.

Caernarfon Castle: The Imposing Welsh Constantinople

Caernarfon Castle (often anglicized as Carnarvon or Caernarvon) is a castle in Caernarfon, in the northern Welsh county of Gwynedd, that was built during the Middle Ages. The castle is closely...
People have vandalized a Welsh ring cairn by using it as a motorbike circuit. Source:  AA+W / Adobe Stock

Irresponsible Bikers Use 3,000-Year-OId Ring Cairn as Motorbike Circuit

Scrambler motorbikes are a popular pastime in many countries, including Britain. However, a group of irresponsible scramblers have been using a 3000-year-old Welsh ring cairn as a motorbike circuit...
It may not seem like it today, but Harlech Castle is Wales has witnessed Welsh rebellions, the Wars of the Roses and the English Civil War. Source: Darren Tennant / Flickr

Harlech Castle: Wales’ Most Formidable Fortress

Harlech Castle is a medieval castle located in Harlech, in the Welsh county of Gwynedd. The castle was built during the 13 th century by the English king, Edward I, as part of an ‘iron ring’ of...
Left: Portrait of Llywelyn the Great (Hogyncymru / CC BY-SA 4.0). 	Right: Stain glass window depiction of Llywelyn the Great (Llywelyn2000 / CC BY-SA 4.0).

Was Llywelyn the Great Wales’ Greatest Native Ruler?

Llywelyn ap Iorwerth, more commonly known as Llywelyn the Great (or Llywelyn Fawr in Welsh) was a Welsh prince who lived between the 12 th and 13 th century. Lylwelyn is considered to be the greatest...
Representation of a medieval knight walking along a beach. Credit: bint87 / Adobe Stock

Medieval Knight Wielding ‘Excalibur’ Stopped By Armed Police

Three police officers from the Welsh police special firearms unit have confronted a sword-wielding “medieval knight,” by a lake in Cardiff. King Arthur was one of the most illustrious legendary...
Stained glass depicting Saint David. Source: Hchc2009 / CC BY-SA 4.0.

Miracle from the Womb: Saint David, Patron Saint of Wales

Saint David (known in Welsh as Dewi Sant) was a Welsh bishop who is recorded to have lived during the 6th century AD. Not much is known about Saint David and the main source of information about the...
Holy Island is named for its many burials. This Late Roman cist cemetery was uncovered during the dig. Source: Gwynedd Archaeological Trust.

Archaeological Finds Tell the Story of Wales’ Holy Island

In the United Kingdom, finds from a remarkable archaeological project are being unveiled to the public for the first time. This treasure trove of artifacts provides an insight into the 6,000 year...
An aerial photograph of Dinas Dinlle Iron Age Hill Fort from the north (suffering from coastal erosion); Gwynedd, Cymru / Wales. Cromlechs & Ancient Sites. (CADW/Visit Wales/CC BY SA 3.0)

Experts Scramble to Study Ancient Fort Before It’s Lost to the Sea

Archaeologists working on the 2,500-year-old Dinas Dinlle hill fort on the Gwynedd coastline in Wales are racing a climate change clock to uncover the site’s secrets before they are lost to the sea...
One of the skeletons found beneath Coleg Menai in Llangefni, Wales. Credit: Archaeology Wales.

Mysterious Mass Grave Found in Wales May Contain Bodies of Vikings’ Slaves

Archaeologists have uncovered a mysterious mass grave dating back 1,600 years in Wales containing the remains of 86 individuals. Researchers are now attempting to explain strange characteristics...
Bryn Celli Ddu

4,000-Year-Old Burial Revealed on Welsh Island Linked to Mysterious Druid Sorcerers

Excavations are underway on the 4,000-year-old Bronze Age burial cairn known as ‘Bryn Celli Ddu Bach’ on the British island of Anglesey, located off the north coast of Wales. Anglesey is famous for...
On Left – Early fourteenth-century manuscript showing Edward I. On Right – Early fourteenth-century manuscript showing Edward I and his wife Eleanor

Edward I was a Strong and Formidable King Whose Presence Once Caused A Man to Die of Fright!

Edward I (known also as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots) was an English king who lived during the 13 th and 14 th centuries AD. Edward belonged to the House of Plantagenet, whose...
A Silures wagon by Anne Leaver.

The Silures Tribe: Rome’s Biggest Headache Hailed from Wales?

The people of Wales are fiercely proud of who they are, where they come from, and above all, their ability to remain a distinct people in the face of conquest. One such tribe in the south of Wales...
Bryn Celli Ddu: Ancient Stone Circle and Passage Tomb Was for the Living and the Dead

Bryn Celli Ddu: Ancient Stone Circle and Passage Tomb Was for the Living and the Dead

Stonehenge is arguably one of the most iconic prehistoric monuments in the UK. Nevertheless, this ancient structure is just one of many henges found across the country. The fame gained by Stonehenge...
Stonehenge

Ground-breaking Science Reveals People Buried at Stonehenge Came from Way Out West

Despite over a century of intense study, we still know very little about the people buried at Stonehenge or how they came to be there. Now, a new University of Oxford research collaboration,...

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