Commemorate
Across Carmarthenshire you will find reminders in the landscape of the people who lived here. Standing stones, burial mounds, cromlechs, grave markers, statues, monuments, portraits and plaques are all ways people have commemorated the lives of their ancestors, families, leaders and heroes.
But who gets to be remembered and why?
The objects in this gallery mainly remember the wealthy and powerful. They have been created and prominently displayed by the generations that followed to make a statement. A claim to land or social status. Markers of historic and political figures and events. Or records of family trees.
How this has changed over time can open windows onto society in the past.
Standing Stones
“Wow!” That is what many visitors say when they first see the huge standing stones that dominate the Museum’s Main Hall.
Our display of inscribed standing stones from Carmarthenshire is truly impressive. Seven megaliths share the space with other monuments, creating an atmosphere of wonder and mystery as you wander around them.
They are reminders of the county’s long and varied history. Some date back 3,000 years to the Bronze Age. Others feature Latin inscriptions and early medieval carvings of Christian symbols. Some even bear traces of Ogham, the alphabet used to write early Irish. Each one has plenty of stories to tell.
Another standing stone marks the Museum’s main entrance. Standing proudly in the centre of the Story Garden, the Maen Llwyd bears what may be the remains of a carved Christian cross on one side. If you decide to explore the Tywi Valley Trail, which starts outside the Museum, you will find that it ends near the site where 'Y Maen Llwyd' was discovered on a farm in Ffairfach.
Once you know what to look for, you might spot more of these interesting objects in their original locations across the county.
