Dinas Camp

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 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. The earthworks enclose a large area on the N facing slope of Dinas Hill and the site measures c 650m NE-SW by 100m. The east side falls away very steeply and there are no defences except for some scarping towards the N. On the west side a bank runs along the E side of the hill and in places an external ditch is visible. The bank has been broken in places. At the northern end of the site a rampart follows the base of the hill. The area between this and the western bank is very marshy. A second rampart and ditch is visible further down the northern slope but has been disturbed in parts by ploughing and trackways. The earthworks at the higher southern end of the site appear to be incomplete.

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.