Caer Euni
rid reference is an
Iron Age
The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...
hillfort
A hillfort is a type of fortification, fortified refuge or defended settlement located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typical of the late Bronze Age Europe, European Bronze Age and Iron Age Europe, Iron Age. So ...
, about north-east of the village of
Llandderfel
Llandderfel is a village and a sparsely populated community in Gwynedd, Wales, near Bala, formerly served by the Llandderfel railway station. The community also includes the settlements of Glan-yr-afon, Llanfor, Cefnddwysarn and Frongoch. ...
and about north-east of
Bala Lake
Bala Lake, or (), is a large freshwater glacial lake in Gwynedd, Wales. The River Dee, which has its source on the slopes of Dduallt in the mountains of Snowdonia, feeds the long by wide lake. It was the largest natural body of water in ...
, in
Gwynedd
Gwynedd () is a county in the north-west of Wales. It borders Anglesey across the Menai Strait to the north, Conwy, Denbighshire, and Powys to the east, Ceredigion over the Dyfi estuary to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. The ci ...
, Wales. It 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, visu ...
.
Description
The fort is situated on a narrow ridge, at height . It is an elongated enclosure, length about and width , orientated north-east to south-west, aligned with the ridge.
[Christopher Houlder. ''Wales: An Archaeological Guide''. Faber and Faber, 1978. Page 84.]
There is a rampart enclosing the inner area, with a steep slope to the south-east and ditches and counterscarp
A scarp and a counterscarp are the inner and outer sides, respectively, of a ditch or moat used in fortifications. Attackers (if they have not bridged the ditch) must descend the counterscarp and ascend the scarp. In permanent fortifications, the ...
s elsewhere. The principal entrance is in the north-east. The fort was enlarged: there is a bank, formerly the south-west end, traceable across the interior, and further defences were built to the south-west, notably a large rock-cut ditch and a rampart built with the stone from the ditch.[
The sites of about 25 round huts, diameter , have been detected, mostly in the later part of the enclosure.][
There are some burnt stones in the south-west corner, but this is not thought to be evidence of a connection with the ]vitrified fort
Vitrified forts are stone enclosures whose walls have been subjected to vitrification through heat. It was long thought that these structures were unique to Scotland, but they have since been identified in several other parts of western and northe ...
s of Scotland.[
]
See also
* Hillforts in Britain
Hillforts in Britain refers to the various hillforts within the island of Great Britain. Although the earliest such constructs fitting this description come from the Neolithic British Isles, with a few also dating to later Bronze Age Britain, Briti ...
* List of Scheduled prehistoric Monuments in Gwynedd (former Merionethshire)
References
{{Reflist
Hillforts in Gwynedd
Scheduled monuments in Wales