CD164

Tan-y-Ffordd Hillfort  

17/07/1998  

Designated  

Ceredigion  

Melindwr  

269253  

279795  

Defence  

Hillfort  

Prehistoric  

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. Tan-y-ffordd is a good example of a small yet strongly defended hillfort. The site is defensively sited on a spur overlooking the Rheidol valley and demonstrates a stretch of well preserved rampart and ditch which serves to cut the spur off on its most easily accessible side. The site is located within an area known to have been well occupied during the Iron Age period. 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.