The Gop
Encyclopedia
The Gop is a neolithic
mound lying north of Trelawnyd
in Flintshire
, Wales
. Oval in form, it is the second-largest such mound in Britain after Silbury Hill
. Excavations have uncovered no burial chambers or other underground works. This may indicate that it was used as a look-out or hill fort
; there is evidence that there was a considerable amount of stone on the top of hill. In the 17th century, its prominent position allowed a beacon
to be placed there.
The mound lies on top of Gop Hill, a natural limestone outcrop, in the side of which are the Gop Caves.
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...
mound lying north of Trelawnyd
Trelawnyd
- History :Trelawnyd is one of Flintshire's ancient parishes, originally part of Dyserth parish. It became a separate parish between 1254 and 1291, and included the townships of Gop, Graig, Pentreffyddion and Rhydlyfnwyd....
in 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...
. Oval in form, it is the second-largest such mound in Britain after Silbury Hill
Silbury Hill
Silbury Hill is a prehistoric artificial chalk mound near Avebury in the English county of Wiltshire. It is part of the Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites UNESCO World Heritage Site, and lies at ....
. Excavations have uncovered no burial chambers or other underground works. This may indicate that it was used as a look-out or 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...
; there is evidence that there was a considerable amount of stone on the top of hill. In the 17th century, its prominent position allowed a beacon
Beacon
A beacon is an intentionally conspicuous device designed to attract attention to a specific location.Beacons can also be combined with semaphoric or other indicators to provide important information, such as the status of an airport, by the colour and rotational pattern of its airport beacon, or of...
to be placed there.
The mound lies on top of Gop Hill, a natural limestone outcrop, in the side of which are the Gop Caves.