Saith Maen

Cadw's description

Summary description and reason for designation

The following provides a general description of the monument.

The monument comprises the remains of a stone row, which probably dates to the Bronze Age (c. 2300 - 800 BC). The site comprises an impressive row of 7 standing stones aligned N/S in an area of shake holes on an east-facing slope overlooking the Tawe Valley at 350m AOD. The stones are a flat, with their narrow edges running along the row. The most northerly stone is the tallest of the upright stones at 1.6m high, two larger stones (c. 2.3m long and 2.9m long) have fallen, while the remainder stand to around 0.8m high. All of the stones are roughly 0.8m wide and stand 1m apart. There are several possible outliers, one located 8m to the SW and three further stones located 13m, 26m and 53m north of the northern-most standing stone.

The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of prehistoric burial and ritual practices. The features are an important relic of a prehistoric funerary and ritual landscape and retain significant archaeological potential. There is a strong probability of the presence of both intact ritual and burial deposits, together with environmental and structural evidence. Stone rows are often part of a larger cluster of monuments and their importance can further enhanced by their group value.

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