Moel y Gaer, Llanbedr
Encyclopedia
Moel y Gaer is an Iron Age
hill fort
located on a western spur of the Clwydian Range
, near the village of Llanbedr
, Denbighshire
, Wales
.
The defensive works at Moel y Gaer consist of a double bank and a ditch with two entrances, one on the west and one on the northeast. There is an additional bank to the northeast, across the ridge connecting the hill to the higher ground leading to Moel Famau
. A 2007 survey of the site reported that the defensive structures enclosed an area of 2.63 hectares (6.5 acre), with a possible annex including another 0.26 hectare (0.642473423839718 acre); it also identified 15 roundhouse
platforms within the enclosure, along with possible evidence that the inner rampart was faced with stone at some time during the site's occupation.
British Iron Age
The British Iron Age is a conventional name used in the archaeology of Great Britain, referring to the prehistoric and protohistoric phases of the Iron-Age culture of the main island and the smaller islands, typically excluding prehistoric Ireland, and which had an independent Iron Age culture of...
hill fort
Hill fort
A hill fort is a type of earthworks used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze and Iron Ages. Some were used in the post-Roman period...
located on a western spur of the Clwydian Range
Clwydian Range
The Clwydian Range is a series of hills and mountains in north east Wales that runs from Llandegla in the south to Prestatyn in the north, with the highest point being the popular Moel Famau...
, near the village of Llanbedr
Llanbedr
Llanbedr is a village in the Ardudwy area of Gwynedd, Wales.The village originally grew around the slate quarrying industry. Attractions in Llanbedr include Neolithic standing stones and Bronze Age hut circles. The Morfa Dyffryn sand dunes and Mochras lie nearby...
, Denbighshire
Denbighshire
Denbighshire is a county in north-east Wales. It is named after the historic county of Denbighshire, but has substantially different borders. Denbighshire has the distinction of being the oldest inhabited part of Wales. Pontnewydd Palaeolithic site has remains of Neanderthals from 225,000 years...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
The defensive works at Moel y Gaer consist of a double bank and a ditch with two entrances, one on the west and one on the northeast. There is an additional bank to the northeast, across the ridge connecting the hill to the higher ground leading to Moel Famau
Moel Famau
Moel Famau is the highest hill within the Clwydian Range on the border between Denbighshire and Flintshire in North Wales. The hill, which also gives its name to the Moel Famau country park, has been classed as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty since 1985...
. A 2007 survey of the site reported that the defensive structures enclosed an area of 2.63 hectares (6.5 acre), with a possible annex including another 0.26 hectare (0.642473423839718 acre); it also identified 15 roundhouse
Roundhouse (dwelling)
The roundhouse is a type of house with a circular plan, originally built in western Europe before the Roman occupation using walls made either of stone or of wooden posts joined by wattle-and-daub panels and a conical thatched roof. Roundhouses ranged in size from less than 5m in diameter to over 15m...
platforms within the enclosure, along with possible evidence that the inner rampart was faced with stone at some time during the site's occupation.