The Unique Bronze Age Mines Found In Wales | Extreme Archaeology | Absolute History

[@angrypossumsx1259]

Don’t you just love how the “Team Leader” starts each episode telling us what an expert climber, caver and volcanologist he is and then spends the rest of the time doing sweet FA?

[@s1nb4d59]

alice should have hosted these episodes.

[@componenx]

Yeah, he's kind of useless; they should have coaxed him into the mine off camera and left him there.

[@LTPottenger]

It was probably important he was there to keep them from dying, but he is kind of useless when it comes to the archaeology.

[@theo.g.bentley4152]

Sounds exactly like the "team leader" I work with. All talk and no work!

[@catnotpat3693]

My first thought was “why not a female team leader?“. She probably would be more helpful and less self promoting.

[@professorsogol5824]

Not mentioned here is the other element necessary to make bronze: tin. Interestingly, tin deposits are much rarer than copper deposits, and the deposit nearest to Wales that was exploited in the bronze age is in Cornwall. The ancient Celts were living on valuable real estate.

[@paulbourdon1236]

I'm surprised they didn't make a point of that! Tin was very rare and my understanding is there was only the Cornwall deposits and ones in Afghanistan and maybe Corsica? You can only imaging what it must have been like for the slaves? who worked down there. They say the slaves who worked the Hallstatt mines were down there for days at a time!

[@mattcook70]

The Celtic culture wasn't around in the bronze age :/

[@simplethings3730]

Archaeologist: I think I'll climb down in this hole where there is tons of rock that is being held up by a soap bubble and just bang around a bit.

[@nowthenzen]

Thanks!

[@JCO2002]

Incredibly dangerous compared to a cave. I surveyed a mine here in Jamaica about 12 years ago that had been abandoned in the 1860's (coincidentally, the miners were Welsh). Was under contract to a Canadian mining company that was thinking of developing it. Caves are naturally stable because of how they form. Mines, not at all. Wouldn't have done it if I hadn't needed the money. RS Stewart - Jamaican Caves Organisation.

[@aradawg]

Underrated comment

[@antipatsy]

am i the only one who had no idea archeology was so exciting, and now wants to go into the field?

[@johnhagemeyer8578]

Yes , the rest of us know. Your the very last person in the world to find this out. It's a well kept secret but now you have found out WELCOME HOME YOU MADE IT CONGRATULATIONS!

[@avidtraveller]

The risks this crew goes through just to entertain us is mind boggling. Thank you for the risks you take for science and wonder.

[@OneLeatherBoot]

As someone that has worked underground for decades, this was an incredibly stupid thing they did.

[@terencehawkes3933]

I have terrible claustrophobia. There is no way I could do that.

[@DragonFae16]

It's cool to see people from Time team again.

[@capt.furioustruth5420]

After Time Team, this is more of a parody of archaeology, cause all we see are these poor ladies climbing thru all these tunnels to find NOTHING. Monty Python has done better.

[@bartolomeothesatyr]

They found 3,500-year-old bits of wooden shoring. It's not much, but it's enough to determine the age of the underground works, which I gather was the main objective of this expedition.

[@revolvermaster4939]

Hehehe - they said they’re “assessing the state of Henry’s shaft!”

[@joeottsoulbikes415]

Being trapped underground is my greatest fear. You will never again get me into a tunnel 5 feet under let alone one hundreds of years old hundreds of grounds under ground. When I lived in central Kentucky I used to go caving. We only had home flashlights and dressed in our everyday clothing. A cave on the outside of town was natural with no support beams or safety structures. We used to go explore often. It was very long taking up to two hours to reach an end that dropped down so far you could not see the bottom with the most powerful of lights. We dropped a glow light once and the light faded away long before you could hear it splash the bottom. You could hear rushing water at the bottom. Like an underground river. Most of the cave was made of giant chunks of granite and very solid. Some sections were very small loose rock that could fall at any time. The cave went at a constant down angle the whole time almost uncomfortably steep. We were easily several hundred feet down. When I was 16 years old my friends and I used to go into this cave. There was a section just inside about 100ft long maybe 3ft in diameter. You had to scoot through on your belly pulling and kicking along while there was a drizzle of a water steam under you. It was loose rock that would have little parts falling on you as you went along. Very scary but exhilarating. It opened into a pathway for a very long time about 5 feet high. At the end was a giant cavern that was like 200 by 200ft with that giant pit at the end. It was full of gem like rocks sparkling gold, green, red and blue. On our last visit the narrow crawling part collapsed right after the last person was pulled from it. There was a rumble sound and you could feel the ground shake. We ran the last 50 feet with our heads ducked as the last bit was only about 5 feet tall. As we exited we heard a thunderous clap and dust came rolling out of the cave. A very close call that almost cost the lives of five teenagers. The entrance was sealed off with steel doors by the city after that so no one would ever try and dig there way back in. It was found many years later the under ground river was indeed part of our local river and ran for several miles hundreds of feet under ground. I have never been in a cave or tunnel other than road tunnels since.

[@componenx]

I would assume you've heard of Floyd Collins. His story always makes me think before I do anything too crazy underground.

[@joeottsoulbikes415]

@@componenx yes but only because part of the Mammoth Cave long tour actually goes under Sand Cave where he past away. Something about a guided cave tour with a park ranger, fancy lights, a cafeteria half way and being able to stand up the whole way makes tourist forget that there are parts of the same system that are so big people have gotten lost and never been found, have had rocks cave in and taken lives, people have slid head first down shafts that turned vertical and emptied in water and more. Even when the guide tells you some of these stories you feels safe in that moment. Wonder off a side cave on your own and trouble happens.

[@justmedic9689]

It's sad they weren't able to go further but it's amazing to think how far they got and how much closer they are to unlocking the shafts mysteries :)

[@yoshimansxl]

Two things I do not get: if it is so acidic and dangerous then why is no one wearing safety goggles and somesort of gasmask?

[@gijsv8419]

I bet he coordinates from above with a bottle of beer in his hands. He has this look.

[@Thisoddity]

lol yep i can see that

[@paul6925]

He’s a bit pudgy isn’t he? 😂

[@brianmincher716]

@@paul6925 yeah, when he introduced himself as, amongst other things, a climber, I about dropped my phone. . . Not with those cheeks, you aren’t!

[@derrickguffey4775]

Wow not one among you has anything positive to say about the shows host. Assuming he's a drunk because he has that look. Well what exactly does a drunk look like and so what if he has a moon face big deal doesn't mean he can't be a caver. When you assume you make an ass out of you and me. Too many trolls out there. If you haven't got anything nice to say don't say anything at all. Folks can't even watch a documentary without a snide comment to make or thoughtless poorly conceived attempts at humor.

[@gijsv8419]

@@derrickguffey4775 I just comment of what I see. I don't judge. If somebody does like a beer, does it make him a drunk ?

[@candyflossinct]

"I feel like I don't wantto breathe too hard." "Don't." 😥

[@greenspiraldragon]

Ask a mining company if they can drill a new shaft down to the old workings.

[@OneLeatherBoot]

Do you understand how expensive something like that would be? Shaft sinking costs vary with diameter, but typically run ~$10,000 per metre as a rule of thumb.

[@cut--]

Exploring Abandoned Mines is a great channel too !

[@nancythomas-wardm.b.a2993]

Beyond excitment...Terrified...omg you guys are taking risks....half way through!!!

[@gregwarner3753]

Hire a drilling company and go in from the surface. They know wnere they want to go. Use machinery and just do it. It is not worth dying to use that route. Not at all.

[@amethystwyvern]

Now I'm a yank, is absolute history a british tv channel and is extreme archeology a tv show? or are they webseries? In any case wonderful show , lots of fun and very educational.

[@deadpancherry8658]

Old TV shows

[@wyvrennemacdaniels]

old British tv. I'm also a yank bud.

[@driver2909]

I think these people are out of their mines going in there. Lol Fantastic doc..

[@wyvrennemacdaniels]

lol I saw what you did there

[@amethyst5538]

What do you do in quarantine. Watch crazy people do crazy things.🤪

[@brucetutty9984]

Archeology is such a joining of science, art, and belief.

[@BirdWhisperer46]

"If that log give way, how much time do we have to get out?" If your worried about collapse, you should have kissed your ass goodbye before going in the mine.

[@stevemcelmury4618]

No Entry sign, acid pools, collapsing ceilings and walls, a ticking clock... throw in a swarthy spy into the mix, and you have an "Indiana Jones" with gutsy young , bright, dedicated women and an older guide ... well done, crew!

[@paulsugerik3389]

The team leader doesn't do anything that he has his title for

[@robertschumann7737]

Group leader: “We are on a very strict time table for how long we can be down here.” Female Archeologist: Stops every 2 feet to look at the walls and poke the wooden supports. “This doesn’t look very safe at all.” We get it the supports are rotting out. We got it the 10th time you pointed it out.

[@codynicholas2275]

“Hey, we can’t win them all.” Have they ever even accomplished ANYTHING? Seriously I have not seen an episode where they learned anything new.

[@ajaxthegreatest2191]

This could be a Blumhouse flick

[@Meine.Postma]

I know it is not PC but I'm so proud of the girls of this program. Just get rid of the tool and the program would be perfect.

[@fetus2280]

Yes, they are the experienced ones in this . we dont need the fluff and other bullshit, just let them do their jobs and be on with it . They know full well wtf to do , they have been doing it, and on television now for decades . Time Team is just one of them . Cheers

[@brucetutty9984]

Truly impressive to watch people risking their lives to gain this knowledge...and in the middle i get an advert for beer.

[@lailabaf]

i wish they explain what was that tower was and if it had anything to do with the mining!

[@Randrew]

It's the base of a 5 sail windmill that was used from 1878 to 1904 in the mining process. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parys_Mountain_Windmill

[@ziploc2000]

Anyone else finding the background music annoying? Too loud and completely unnecessary.

[@thijsjong]

The timber is very rotten and unstable. Why do they go down further in then?

[@arikborisov8131]

In the name of science!

[@SilvaDreams]

THe hilarious thing is they say it's too rotten and unstable yet they keep going and don't get a mining company to come in and reinforce things to make it safer and allow for better exploration... But that would make too much sense and not good TV

[@Randrew]

@@SilvaDreams Wondered myself on those lines. Also wondered, if they worked themselves back up to within 50 feet of the surface to be within 20-30 feet of "the Bronze Age", couldn't they be doing that archeology from the top down? Yeah, a little deeper than your average archeo trench, but with proper stepping and shoring it's bound to be safer than crawling under tons of waste rock resting on rotten timbers.

[@JCO2002]

@@SilvaDreams Would have cost a fortune. They didn't have the budget.

[@componenx]

Because it's there, of course!

[@ginalou5774]

This guy always-unfortunately- has to stay up top....leaving all the tough stuff to everyone else....hmmmm

[@Oleanderlullaby]

Everyone looked proper scared headed off for the Mona mineshaft

[@Leo-pd8ww]

That was reckless.

[@ahzzz-realm]

The subject is very interesting but the goldfish memory narration is so annoying.

[@m.asquino7403]

How on earth did the bronze age miners dig as deep as they did with stone hammers and what about lighting?

[@hanslund308]

If it aint that long before it colapse. Why dont blow open a new whole on top?

[@brianmincher716]

Must have said a Lana Kane style “nope!” a hundred times once they went down underground.

[@nowthenzen]

pretty sure the 2nd half is the found footage after the iridescent underground lobster people attack.

[@seanrodden6151]

This would've been much better without the manufactured drama. *whispers for dramatic effect* everyone's nervous, let's go ask them just how nervous...

[@paul6925]

This show gives me a “The Descent” (2006) vibe! Just gotta get rid of the dude

[@bettygreenhansen]

Yeah! Nope! I only got to the 13 minute point and just cannot go forward. Yikes! ☠️☠️☠️

[@tripeeblonde8309]

Oh please no. That movie scared the shit out o me!

[@paul6925]

@@tripeeblonde8309 me too 😁

[@rokarokoumije]

i feel like i just watched 50 minutes of colonoscopy

[@m.asquino7403]

I love this but you talk about claustrophobia

[@mark.J6708]

So much more we don't know yet, people had their crap together much earlier than supposed.... copper, tin, bronz3 age collapse... series of things breaking down caused an irreversible cascade....

[@EllamentaryPiano]

Really disappointing to see people go down into ‘battery acid-like’ conditions without protective eye wear & gloves. Then there’s the bacteria that creates growths, yet there was no attempt to protect the lungs. Finally, as a thinking woman, I’m disturbed to see a situation where I’m reminded of the TV show ‘Charlie’s Angels’. Why do only 4 people have identities? I really don’t understand the mentality of this. It demeans everyone in the whole show.

[@IgabodDobagi]

He was exaggerating quite a bit when he said it was almost battery acid levels. Battery acid is 0.8-ish PH. Vinegar is 2 to 3. So that water is closer to the levels of vinegar. As for the bacteria and lung protection, it's wet so no airborne bacterial particles to worry about. And that's not the type of bacteria you have to worry about breathing in anyway. I agree on the point about only a handful of people having identities. They don't list any of the crew other than the 3 women and the team leader on IMDB credits and that annoys me to no end. Personally I don't think the funding for this show was enough to do what they set out to do. Which is probably why it only lasted a year. Also the team leader is the wrong person to lead the team. Katie should have been the team leader. She is an actual archaeologist and had a fair amount of experience at that point.

[@faroukabad]

looks like silver nitrate on his hands

[@m.j.morshead]

So where's the bronze age mines,I turned off after I seen they were in a 159 year old mine.

[@rollonbc]

I want my 45 minutes back

[@cliffwoodbury5319]

y is it not being used anymore when it seams like its still full of ore

[@liamtuttle2707]

Cue the Indiana Jones music

[@kalvaxus]

So what about the piece of wood they found?

[@Randrew]

They couldn't tell if it was part of a tool but it did radio-carbon date to 3500 years old.

[@gerhardtcustomknives]

@@Randrew maybe the 1800's miners just used a tool with wood from a really old tree

[@DaveRogers583]

Not much archeology happening. More like just mine exploration

[@johnsimons1748]

the so-called leader has fear in his eyes and too large to enter small space

[@17hmr243]

if it was so important they would dig down

[@madbikerwolf8664]

Why... do... narrators... always FEEL... they have to pause.... every FEW words... AND add... HYPERbole... where it doesn't belong? This is insulting to the viewer. The producers of these shows also shown their utter disdain for the viewer in the writing. For example, this video talks about how decayed the supports are in the mine. Gee? Really? A thousand year old beam in a wet environment has decayed? Wow. Glad they had to tell me since I'd never have guessed. Why not talk about how it has actually lasted this long? You know, something that is not bloody obvious.

[@JETWTF]

The wood beams were from the mining operations in the 1800's. ~200 years.

[@ikkedansk]

so much wasted time could easily be boiled down to 15 min if not less

[@gregwarner3753]

These people are exceptionally brave or foolish or both. Archeology be damned. Some information is, to me anyway, too difficult and dangerous to obtain. I would not do this. No way would I do this.

[@annaw1298]

this is like watching Blair Witch Project

[@paul6925]

Or the Descent!

[@oiudatropen9548]

LLOUSY job of attempting to document and interesting project.

[@crunchies4me]

Oh dear, i would have a panic attack trying to squeeze myself thru the tight spaces. Watch out for cave monsters!!! Lol I wouldn't be surprised if there are unknown cave creatures living in these mines.

[@Meine.Postma]

The "poppelation"

[@Ck-zk3we]

Alice!

[@Pembroke1]

Break onto the other side.

[@Mrbfgray]

A bunch of boring drama, I want to see actual ancient workings not muddy newbees in tunnels.

[@jeanalton7369]

I don't understand why they're here. This is a known and well-dated site isn't it?

[@hoosierhiver]

Archeology women are always good looking, anyone else ever notice that? If I were 20 again, I think I'd take some archeology classes.

[@girlnextdoorgrooming]

No, dummy. Only the good looking ones get on television.

[@lancelawrence7825]

Oye, from coast o Maine!, food 4 thought. If u had Mining engineers experience, n a Cracker o volcano went off in Med Sea( Santorini)) where would u move thy ops))) if there were +- 300,000 folkes in all o Britain..in time of Helen N Magnus Maximus? How many u suppose in 1,500 BC. N What's going on At Pharoah's Fiery Hill? Vitrification of granite mount top, creating n focusing pizeoelectric? What were Egyptians doing there in 800 Bc era? Did they know about ? Ionian gold miners? Did Gwen 2, Circa grandchildren of Magnus have access to ancient records at Constantinople, showed lass how to rebuild it into Acoustic Hospital? If.. u had Once A Pawn a time, 12 Strands o DNA. Tis ? Why 7 major n 5 minor notes, in key of Dinys Emrys Magic or Science!)))

[@chrissnyder2091]

Terafying, absolutly terafying..

[@mariekatherine5238]

I bet these are the first females to ever enter the mines.

[@louisebrislane6607]

If you read your bible then you would know that you were in some of the mines that supplied bronze etc to King Solomon.

[@stephengardiner9867]

This is just a "Time Team Wannabe" with far more phony dramatics thrown in. It is truly pathetic.

[@davesbainrps6909]

Strange people think of past more than now war waste

[@ACE999]

Y'wouldn't get me down there, .... even for Saddam's gold toilet!

[@vukans595]

Meg is sooo hot!

[@1fanger888]

This is just a movie. Everybody is scripted. Time Team on steroids. Full camera crews and everything..

[@joseph-mariopelerin7028]

look like a bunch of student... where are the specialist expert???

[@Randrew]

Too old and fat to crawl around underground. Plus Katie Hirst was already a pretty accomplished archeologist even at the time that was filmed.

[@rrich52806]

LOL.. clown red hair...

[@paul6925]

It was 2004. I’m getting a 90s raver vibe from dr Alice 😂

[@gatman743]

"Red Hair" Katy is a PhD. Not a clown.

[@AdstarAPAD]

Too many young females for it to have any credability..

[@nevyen149]

Katie Hirst is a Time Team alum, who has a BA in Archaeology. Dr. Meg Watters has a PhD, and is a recognized expert in archaeological remote imaging and non-invasive techniques for archaeological use. Dr. Alice Roberts (PhD and MD) has medical credentials too long to list, including teaching anatomy, as well as also being a Time Team alum. She is a recognized expert in osteoarchaeology and paleopathology. So yea...they lack credibility?

[@AdstarAPAD]

@@nevyen149 Yeah and i bet they all got their positons by taking advantage of woman quotas policies in the education system.. Not because they where actually the best candidate for the postion.. Right..

[@nevyen149]

@@AdstarAPAD FFS misogynistic much? If you actually knew anything about them, you'd know they worked for what they got, and have earned respect for that and their knowledge.

[@LTPottenger]

The best ones are the ones with old men in tweed but they don't make ones like that any more.