Thanks to Dave for pointing out the interpretation issue on the southern (rocky) flank of the Foel Drygarn hillfort site. Are the ridges there, beneath the rocky outcrops, defensive embankments of featres related to the extraction of scree and loose stone for use in the Burial mounds?
The burial mounds were, according to Coflein, built some time before the defensive structures were put in place. The mounds are assumed to be Bronze Age, and the fortified site is assumed to be Iron Age.
If you look carefully at the middle image above (thanks to Coflein) you can see that the outer embankment extends round on the SE part of the hill summit -- and this is shown on the Univ of Portsmouth plan reproduced below it. There are also hut circles inside this part of the embankment -- so this was part of the "living area" of the fort. The southern footpath is also clearly shown.
The area which I find rather intriguing is to the west of that footpath -- at the SW part of the hill summit. Here there does not appear to be any embankment beneath the crags, but there does seem to be a little backslope in places, and a distinct terrace which I assume served the purpose of being a convenient trackway for the hundreds if not thousands of stone carrying journeys made by the builders of the cairns.
Click to enlarge the images.
Watch this space......
2 comments:
Yes, What we see as a rampart, may be an actual 'working platform' (rather than 'quarry'). It could also have been refashioned into a rampart at a later stage, given that there are multiple phases evident here.
I'm still uncertain how much of a scree formation could have originally existed here.
Guess where I shall be going for a quick ramble this weekend?
Dave
Let us know how you get on, Dave! Would value your opinion......
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