GM588

Y Domen Fawr round cairn  

26/07/2005  

Designated  

Blaenau Gwent  

Ebbw Vale  

316612  

207170  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

Round Cairn  

Prehistoric  

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Ancient Monument. The monument comprises the remains of a large burial cairn, probably dating to the Bronze Age (c.2300 BC - 800 BC) and is situated on the north-east side of a prominent ridge on Cefn Manmoel. The stone-built cairn is roughly circular on plan and measures about 12m in diameter and up to 1m in height. A small rectangular brick and concrete structure (probably a pillbox or observation post dating from WWII) has been inserted into its north-west side. However, the remainder of the cairn is substantially intact. The cairn commands fine views over the valley to the east. The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of prehistoric burial and ritual practices. The well-preserved monument is an important relic of a prehistoric funerary and ritual landscape and retains significant archaeological potential, with a strong probability of the presence of both intact burial or ritual deposits and environmental and structural evidence, including a buried prehistoric land surface. The area scheduled comprises the remains described and an area around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive.