Scheduled Monuments- Full Report
Summary Description of a Scheduled Monument
Reference Number
GM514
Name
Burial Chamber at Pen-yr-Alltwen
Date of Designation
02/06/1998
Status
Designated
Location
Unitary Authority
Neath Port Talbot
Community
Cilybebyll
Easting
273152
Northing
203311
Broad Class
Religious, Ritual and Funerary
Site Type
Chambered Tomb
Period
Prehistoric
Description
Summary Description and Reason for Designation
The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Ancient Monument.
The monument comprises the remains of a chambered tomb dating to the Neolithic period (c. 4,400 BC - 2,900 BC). Chambered tombs were built and used by local farming communities over long periods of time. There appear to be many regional traditions and variations in shape and construction. The tomb consists of two chambers, both constructed from large upright sandstone slabs and originally covered by a large capstone
The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of prehistoric burial and ritual. 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 and environmental and structural evidence, including a buried prehistoric land surface. Chambered tombs 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.