GM280

The Beacons Round Barrows  

 

Designated  

Rhondda Cynon Taff  

Llanharan  

301731  

183973  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

Round Barrow  

Prehistoric  

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Ancient Monument. The monument comprises the remains of two earthen built round barrows, which probably date to the Bronze Age (c. 2300 - 800 BC). Both barrows are circular in shape on plan and have a rounded profile. They are situated next to each other on top of the hill overlooking the coastal plain. Barrow A - (Western Barrow) - measures 15m in diameter by 3.5m high. There are three hollows; two on top and one at the top on the west slope. Barrow B - (Eastern Barrow) - measures 15m in diameter and 3m high. The top appears as irregular bumps and hollows. 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. Barrows 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.