Buarth-y-Gaer () is an

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostl ...

hillfort A hillfort is a type of earthwork 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 Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post-Roma ...

or enclosure on the summit of Mynydd-y-Gaer, above sea level. It is in Briton Ferry community, near Neath, in

Neath Port Talbot Neath Port Talbot ( cy, Castell-nedd Port Talbot) is a county borough in the south-west of Wales. Its principal towns are Neath, Port Talbot, Briton Ferry and Pontardawe. The county borough borders Bridgend County Borough and Rhondda Cynon Taf ...

, South Wales. A large hilltop enclosure is bounded by a single bank and ditch. Within the enclosed area is a Bronze Age burial mound.

Location

The hillfort is on the highest point of Mynydd-y-Gaer. It is one of three hillforts on this broad upland ridge;

Craig Ty-Isaf Craig Ty-Isaf is a small hillfort in Baglan community, Neath Port Talbot, in South Wales. It is one of three hillforts on the area of hillside known as Mynydd y Gaer, and is within Briton Ferry Woods. The hillfort is on the SW side of the hill, ...

is a much smaller hillfort to the south-west, close to Baglan, whilst Gaer Fawr is to the north. Mynydd-y-Gaer has a rounded hilltop, with grassland fields and stone walls running up to Buarth-y-Gaer. The hill stands above the Neath estuary and Briton Ferry, on the other side of Briton Ferry Woods, some to the north-west.Glamorgan Gwent Archaeological Society: The village of Baglan is at the foot of the hill, to the south-west. A slightly higher mountain, Foel Fynyddau lies to the east. Although the hillfort lies within Briton Ferry community, the south and east banks of the fort are on the boundary with Baglan community.

Earthworks

The fort is defined by a single bank and ditch which are roughly circular. It is across and encloses of rough grassland. Small-scale early quarrying has removed some of the bank from the south side. The remainder has several modern gaps and an original entrance on the west side. The bank stands half a metre above the interior, with a drop from the bank to the bottom of the ditch. The site is a

scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...

. Although the hill name is 'Mynydd-y-Gaer' (Mountain of the Fort) and the scheduling classifies it as a hillfort, the site shows little evidence of defensibility or fortification, and may be better termed an

enclosure Enclosure or Inclosure is a term, used in English landownership, that refers to the appropriation of "waste" or " common land" enclosing it and by doing so depriving commoners of their rights of access and privilege. Agreements to enclose land ...

or 'defended enclosure'. A

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...

burial mound, which pre-dates the hillfort, stands within the enclosed area as the only internal feature. This is 0.8 m high, and across.Glamorgan Gwent Archaeological Society, Cairn within Buarth-y-Gaer:

Location

Earthworks

References

See also