MM149

Pen-y-Rhiw Round Cairn  

02/04/1956  

Designated  

Caerphilly  

Maesycwmmer  

316792  

191971  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

Round Cairn  

Prehistoric  

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Ancient Monument. The monument comprises the remains a burial cairn, probably dating to the Bronze Age (c. 2300 - 800 BC). The cairn is round in plan and measure 13m in diameter and 1m high and is turf covered. In the centre is a square hollow measuring 1.5m by 1.5m and 0.7m deep, within which are two upright slabs, the side slabs of a cist. The hollow contains a number of stones that probably originate from the body of the cairn. On the N side is a large hollow, measuring 2m in diameter and 0.5m deep and to the W of the cairn is an area of quarrying. The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of prehistoric burial and ritual practices. The 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, 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.