Anglesey forum 17 room
Image by postman
Anglesey

Anglesey

close

Was it the centre of the world?

There's a welsh archaeologist who's got a book coming out shortly about how much influence came from the West from Ireland, or from the South East via England via Spain, etc.

I've just got hold of an archaeological report for one of the burial chambers on Anglesey, and it lists all of them there including those that have been destroyed. And it was fairly heaving with them.

It's dotted with standing stones, a couple of Irish Stylee passage graves, and most interesting of all the two "Avebury" style stones that are supposedly the remainder of not one but two large adjacent stone circles (of interest because the Welsh don't usually go in for Big stone circles)

The island is flat and has always been used for arable, and to this day has fairer weather than the mainland.

As it's coastal it would have been possible to visit some of the coastal axe factories along north Wales.

The Druids fought their last battle against the Romans there. It was their stronghold and it was where they trained up the next generation (including Welsh leaders-to-be). So it was an important legal and cultural centre.

The Irish were sent home from there and told not to come back in the early Medieval Period. So it was fairly "cosmopolitan".

So, alright, it's not the Avebury Ritual Complex, but it's bob-on central for the British Isles (No, that's the Isle of Man).

Consider it to be like an international trade point of the British Isles, you know it makes sense.

...possibly.

The Irish were sent home from there and told not to come back in the early Medieval Period. So it was fairly "cosmopolitan".

It all sounds very Draconian doesn't it? I lived in Holyhead when I was a babe apparently. I think you are right to suggest that Anglesey is the central point of the UK not only for the reasons you put forward but because it is also aligned with the cental point in the constellation of Draco in 2000. Draco is also associated with the serpent and may have some connection with the Druid 'Adders' from Anglesey.
Interesting post, thanks.

jonG

This thread has been subverted. Fourwinds asked, "was [Anglesey] the centre of the world?".

Having poured over celestial bodies and snakes we could always discuss the archaeological and historical evidence (crazy idea I know). What is there to indicate that Ynys Môn (call it Anglesey if you must) was any more of a focal point than, say Cornwall* or Pembrokeshire**? Not a lot.

What the Romans did up there tends to colour our perception of the place. It's all too easy to make assumptions about the importance of Anglesey based on a romanticised idea of scary Celts fighting bad old Roman soldiers. While it would seem likely that there was something big happening there during the latter part of the Iron Age, what evidence is there that the island was an exceptional focal point before that?

Druids aside, how does Anglesey differ from other agriculturally rich areas on the west coast? I'd argue it doesn't differ greatly. It's a wealthy slab of land with the farming surpluses to support a specialisation of labour. Very 'des res', but so are a lot of other places. The obvious trade routes with Ireland are not dissimilar to those that ran through Cornwall, Pembrokeshire, Cumbria, the Isle of Man*** and large chunks of Scotland**** (I'll stop the asterisks now - it's getting silly).

The factor that stands out is the defensive quality of the island. It has the Snowdonia mountain range as a natural defence, and when you add the mountains to the Menai Straits you get a tidy stronghold. That's what it comes down to I reckon - location location location!. Maybe not the best place to live in times of peace (nasty dual carriageways and people speaking in spiky Gog accents), but a great place to defend.

K x

* Kernow
** Sir Benfro
*** Mann
**** Alba