Blaen Nant-y-Rhiw Round Cairn

Cadw's description

Summary description and reason for designation

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Monument.

The monument comprises the remains of a small upland cairn, which probably dates to the Bronze Age (c. 2300 - 800 BC). It is located on a flat summit in open rough pasture and overlooks the valley of the Afon Doethie to the SW. The cairn was constructed from large stones and is now largely turf-consolidated. The cairn is circular in shape on plan and measures c. 8m in diameter and measures a maximum of 0.4m in height. The cairn appears to be undisturbed, except for a small modern walkers' cairn, measuring c. 1m in diameter and 0.3m in height, which surmounts the cairn.

The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of prehistoric burial and ritual practices. The feature is an important relic of a prehistoric funerary and ritual landscape and retains significant archaeological potential. There is a strong probability of the presence of both intact ritual and burial deposits, together with environmental and structural evidence. The importance of the monument is further enhanced by the group value it shares with neighbouring cairns to the S.

The scheduled area comprises the remains described and an area around within which related evidence may be expected to survive. The scheduled area is circular in shape on plan and measures 20m in diameter.