Land, People and Power in Early Medieval Wales: The cantref of Cemais in comparative perspective

Abstract

A study of seasonal activity cycles in a pre-urban society, examined through the lens of an early medieval Welsh case study. It examines how these cycles shaped patterns of power and habitual activity, defining spaces and structuring lives. Its multidisciplinary, comparative analysis identifies focal zones and challenges commonly applied interpretations.

Burial in Early Medieval Wales: Identifying Multifunctional Cemeteries

“…Neither is fully excavated, so whether contemporary non‐funerary activity is present is not known (James 1987; Murphy and Murphy 2015). Comeau’s work demonstrates the value of detailed interdisciplinary investigation, and her findings suggest that structures of secular governance in early medieval Wales were comparable with those in contemporary Ireland and elsewhere in northern Europe (Comeau 2014; 2020; Gleeson 2018; Reynolds 2018). In the context of the present discussion, such research shows how early medieval cemeteries and their environs might repay investigation aimed at identifying further landscapes of assembly in Wales.…”

“…Moreover, in England, a correlation exists between some early medieval cemeteries and assembly sites that are recorded in the Domesday survey (Reynolds 2018, 133). In this regard, it is worth noting the recent identification of a landscape of assembly in south‐west Wales (Comeau 2020). Among the components of that landscape are two Iron Age settlements that became the focus for early medieval burial.…”