CD108

Sunnyhill Wood Camp  

22/09/1949  

Designated  

Ceredigion  

Tregaron  

268687  

260184  

Defence  

Hillfort  

Prehistoric  

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Ancient 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. This hillfort is situated on a rocky plateau, enclosing an area c.50m across. It is defended on the north-west and south-west by natural steep slopes, and on the gentler north-east and east by an impressive double bank and ditch. The inner bank here stands c.5m high externally, and c.2 to c.3m above the rocky interior, while the outer bank stands c.5m high above both the intermediate ditch and the exterior ground level; only slight traces of an outer ditch are visible beyond it. The entrance was probably on the south-east. 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.