Catching up with Wales Online YAC
Wales Online YAC is one of two fully online YAC branches and is open to young people aged 8-16 based in Wales. Since our relaunch in summer 2025, Wales Online YAC has been exploring lots of exciting topics in our monthly Zoom sessions. Read on to find out more about what we have been up to, from Stone Age art to underwater shipwrecks!
Each of our monthly sessions focusses on a different archaeological or historical theme, with an interactive presentation and activities such as crafts, challenges and quizzes. Here’s a few highlights from our recent sessions:
Investigating archaeology online
In November 2025 one of our volunteer team, Nina, shared her knowledge of how to investigate archaeology online. In this practical session we learnt about some of the free online tools we can use to investigate local history and archaeology, such as archaeological records, maps, archives and placenames. Nina helped us create a new resource to help YAC leaders and members access online tools for investigating the history and archaeology of their local area. Explore these resources here!
Wetland archaeology and votive hoards
In January 2026 Issy, another of our volunteers, led a fascinating session based on her PhD research on wetland archaeology. We learnt about why some materials survive better than others in wetland conditions and the methods used by archaeologists to study wetlands. We also learnt about votive hoards – groups of objects deliberately left in special places in the landscape – and why wetlands might have been special places to prehistoric people in Britain. We looked at some examples of fascinating hoards from across Wales and had a go at creating our own hoards of coins, torcs and shields!
Mesolithic Mysteries
Several of our members had shown an interest in learning more about the Mesolithic site of Star Carr when it was mentioned in our session on wetland archaeology, so we ran a session focusing on the Mesolithic (‘middle stone age’) period. We learnt about the changes that took place using the Mesolithic and some key sites from this period in Wales and England, including the UK’s most famous Mesolithic site, Star Carr in North Yorkshire.
We then focussed on some of the period’s most mysterious objects – carved stone pebbles – and looked at examples from Rhuddlan in Denbighshire to compare to the famous Star Carr pendant. We debated what the markings on these stones could be – an early form of writing? A map or chart? Or something personal to the person who made them? Using clay or saltdough we recreated some of these mysterious carved stone objects and doing so formed new theories of what they could mean!
Underwater archaeology
Returning to an aquatic theme, the CBA’s Youth Governance Officer, Tilly Evans, joined us as a guest speaker in March to share her knowledge of underwater archaeology:
Building on my academic background, where I focused on underwater archaeology during my undergraduate studies, I have developed a strong interest in submerged landscapes and maritime sites. Alongside my studies, I have been sailing and diving from a young age, giving me a practical understanding of working in aquatic environments. I am also a qualified swimming teacher and coach, and hold PADI scuba diving qualifications, which have further developed my confidence and awareness in the water. Together, these experiences have supported my understanding of underwater survey methods, site recording, and the unique challenges of investigating and protecting heritage beneath the waves.
We learnt about some of the different methods of underwater archaeology and some fascinating case studies of shipwrecks, such as the Mary Rose in England, the Antikythera shipwreck from Greece and the Nanhai 1 shipwreck in China. Tilly then showed us how to archaeologists record underwater sites using grid drawings, and we had a go at recording an example of a shipwreck. Here’s a great example from one of our members:
Underwater archaeology proved to be a very popular topic with our young archaeologists so is definitely a topic we will explore again in the future!
Join Wales Online YAC!
The Wales Online YAC open to new members and would be delighted to welcome more keen Wales-based young archaeologists to our monthly sessions! Check out our webpage to see our exciting programme of upcoming sessions (with session themes often chosen by our young members) and find out how to join: yac-uk.org/clubs/wales-online-yac.