Moel 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 Iocated on hilltops and surrounded by a single or multiple earthworks of massive proportions.

Moel y Gaer occupies a prominent hilltop above the Wheeler Valley. It is a multivallate hillfort with two probable entrances, one to the north, the other to the south-east.

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 measures approximately 355m north-south by approximately 230m transversely and comprises the remains described and areas around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive.