GM385

Three Round Cairns on Carn Caca  

 

Designated  

Neath Port Talbot  

Clyne and Melincourt  

282281  

200753  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

Kerb Cairn  

Prehistoric  

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Ancient Monument. The monument comprises the remains of three burial cairns, probably dating to the Bronze Age (c. 2300 - 800 BC). They are situated on the edge of an escarpment with commanding views to the north-west. Cairn A - A small cairn circle of stone slabs enclosing a slightly oval area measuring c. 12m by 11m. A small hollow in the interior may mark the site of an attempt at excavation. The area inside the ring is flat. Cairn B - This cairn is grass covered and measures 9m in diameter by c. 0.5m high. The side slabs of a robbed cist are visible in the centre. Cairn C - This cairn is grass covered and measures 4m in diameter by 0.3m high. A single slab is visible half buried near the western edge. 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.