BR213

Two Round Cairns on y Gamriw  

28/09/1994  

Designated  

Powys  

Llanwrthwl  

295501  

261878  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

Cairn  

Prehistoric  

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Ancient Monument. The monument comprises the remains of two round cairns, which probably date to the Bronze Age (c. 2300 - 800 BC) and are situated on adjacent hill summits 560m above sea level. The westernmost cairn is 17m in diameter and composed of large irregular boulders of limestone with no grass cover. A hollow has been dug into the summit but the undisturbed cairn material forms a mound 1m in height. The easternmost cairn is 16m in diameter with an apparent satellite cairn, 6m in diameter on one side. The satellite cairn is grass covered and low lying, while the main cairn is drystone and of similar composition to its large neighbour. The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of prehistoric burial and ritual practices. The features are an important relic of a prehistoric funerary and ritual landscape and retain significant archaeological potential. There is a strong probability of the presence of both intact ritual and burial deposits, together with environmental and structural evidence. Cairns may be part of a larger cluster of monuments and their importance can further enhanced by their group value. The scheduled area comprises the remains described and areas around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive.