GM569

Garn Pontsticill ring cairn  

09/12/2003  

Designated  

Merthyr Tydfil  

Vaynor  

305278  

211788  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

Ring Cairn  

Prehistoric  

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Ancient Monument. The monument comprises the remains of a ring cairn, probably dating to the Bronze Age (c.2300 BC - 800 BC). It is situated within open moorland on the gentle north-facing slope above Pontsticill. The ring cairn is situated on the leading edge of a low narrow north-facing ridge and is circular on plan, measuring about 13m in diameter within a stone ring bank 1.5m in thickness and up to 0.2m in height. The interior of the ring cairn is largely clear of stone. The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of prehistoric burial rites and ritual, social organisation and the environment. The feature is an important relic of a prehistoric funerary and ritual landscape and retains significant archaeological potential, with a strong probability of both structural evidence and the presence of intact burial or ritual deposits. The area scheduled comprises the remains described and an area around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive.