Moel y Gaer, Rhosesmor
Encyclopedia
Moel y Gaer is a prehistoric hill fort
located on a summit of Halkyn Mountain, overlooking the village of Rhosesmor
, Flintshire
, Wales
.
Excavations suggest that the site was occupied, perhaps sporadically, from the Neolithic
period to sometime before the Roman conquest
of the area. Remains of a timber long house
on the hill summit have been dated to the third millennium BC and may represent the earliest human occupation of the region. Defensive construction at the site began around the late seventh century BC, and at first consisted of a timber palisade enclosing a settlement of timber roundhouse
s. The palisade was later replaced by a stone-and-earth rampart and a ditch.
Much of the archaeological work at Moel y Gaer was carried out in the early 1970s, before the construction of a reservoir on the hilltop in 1979 destroyed a portion of the remains.
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 summit of Halkyn Mountain, overlooking the village of Rhosesmor
Rhosesmor
Rhosesmor is a small village near Mold, Flintshire, in north-east Wales. The village lies near the parishes of Halkyn and Rhes-y-cae. The hamlet of Wern-y-Gaer is encompassed by the boundaries of the village.- History :...
, Flintshire
Flintshire
Flintshire is a county in north-east Wales. It borders Denbighshire, Wrexham and the English county of Cheshire. It is named after the historic county of Flintshire, which had notably different borders...
, 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...
.
Excavations suggest that the site was occupied, perhaps sporadically, from the Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
period to sometime before the Roman conquest
Roman conquest of Britain
The Roman conquest of Britain was a gradual process, beginning effectively in AD 43 under Emperor Claudius, whose general Aulus Plautius served as first governor of Britannia. Great Britain had already frequently been the target of invasions, planned and actual, by forces of the Roman Republic and...
of the area. Remains of a timber long house
Neolithic long house
The Neolithic long house was a long, narrow timber dwelling built by the first farmers in Europe beginning at least as early as the period 5000 to 6000 BC. This type of architecture represents the largest free-standing structure in the world in its era...
on the hill summit have been dated to the third millennium BC and may represent the earliest human occupation of the region. Defensive construction at the site began around the late seventh century BC, and at first consisted of a timber palisade enclosing a settlement of timber 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...
s. The palisade was later replaced by a stone-and-earth rampart and a ditch.
Much of the archaeological work at Moel y Gaer was carried out in the early 1970s, before the construction of a reservoir on the hilltop in 1979 destroyed a portion of the remains.
External links
- Moel y Gaer, Rhosesmor at the BBC Web site
- Reconstruction of Moel y Gaer settlement at Gathering the Jewels