Twyn-y-Gaer

Cadw's description

Summary description and reason for designation

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Ancient Monument.

The monument comprises the remains of a hillfort, which probably dates to the Iron Age period (c. 800 BC - AD 74, the Roman conquest of Wales). Hillforts are usually located on hilltops and surrounded by a single or multiple earthworks of massive proportions. Hillforts must have formed symbols of power within the landscape, while their function may have had as much to do with ostentation and display as defence. Twyn-y-Gaer hillfort comprises a small roughly oval univallate enclosure measuring approximatgely 92m N/S by 67m E/W, occupying the summit of a small spur of land above the River Usk. The bank is constructed from earth and stone and survives to a maximum height of 2m on the outside edge, 1.2m on the inside edge. The ditch is visible around the northern end of the enclosure, surviving as a 2m wide, 0..2m deep depression. The entrance is thought to be midway along the western side where there is an interruption in the bank. A low bank and slight ditch cut across the interior of the enclosure towards the northern end. External features include a series of hollow ways, terraced tracks and enclosed plots on the western side of the hillfort.

The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of later prehistoric defensive organisation and settlement. The site forms an important element within the wider later prehistoric context and within the surrounding landscape. The site is well preserved and retains considerable archaeological potential. There is a strong probability of the presence of evidence relating to chronology, building techniques and functional detail.

The scheduled area comprises the remains described and areas around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive.