Moel y Gaer Camp

Cadw's description

Summary description and reason for designation

The following provides a general description of the scheduled ancient monument.

Moel y Gaer Camp comprises the remains of a defended enclosure or hillfort. Such monuments probably date to the Iron Age period (c. 800 BC - AD 74), although several are known to date from the Late Bronze Age with activity through to the early post-Roman period. Moel y Gaer is a sub-oval hilltop enclosure, measuring about 190m north-south by 130-170m. It is generally defined by a bank, ditch and counterscarp, but there is some variation, notably about the east-facing entrance. Excavations in 1972-3, in advance of the construction of the reservoir, revealed a complex late Bronze Age and early Iron Age sequence of construction and occupation. The site encompasses a tumulus on the summit of the hilltop.

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.