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Ancient Monuments in Wales


Megalithic Monuments

The Stone Age accounts for 99% of the period of human habitation in Wales. For about 95% of this time Britain was joined to Continental Europe and the first settlers probably arrived overland.

The people who built these great stone burial chambers were comparatively recent - about 5000 years ago.

It is a period toward the end of the Stone Age, referred to as the Megalithic Period (Mega = large, Lith = stone) and is characterised by constructions usinge huge stones. To have achieved this would have required a fairly sophisticated technology, but very little is known about it today.

The late stone age is collectively known as the neolithic period (Neo =new, Lith = stone).



Carreg Coetan There is an abundance of neolithic remains in Wales - such as the burial chambers, or cromlechs - shown here. Although very varied in appearance, many share the characteristic of a large horizontal top (capstone), supported by three or more vertical stones (orthostats).

Burial chamber Carreg Coetan, near Newport, Pembokeshire.



From the presence of bones and crockery, it is known that the cromlechs served as burial chambers. At one time they would have been covered with an earth mound.

The cromlechs would have served for the burial of only a few - presumably the elite of neolithic society.



Pentre Ifan Pentre Ifan is probably the most well-known Neolithic Burial Chamber in Wales. The horizontal capstone is about 5 metres long and weighs about 16 tonnes. It is unlikely that it could have been placed in position without the aid of lifting devices of some kind.

Cromlech Pentre Ifan near Newport, Pembrokeshire, with the mountain Mynydd Preseli in the background.



It is known that the stones used in Stonehengem came from Mynydd Presli - shown in the background of the above photograph - a direct distance of about 250 kilometres.

Any route which would have been taken would have involved either a sea journey as well as an overland journey, or a much longer overland journey, much of it mountainous.

An attempt in 2000 to move a megalith by raft - as part of a Milenium event - ended when the stone sank.

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This page was last updated on 6 August 2000 __________ Back to:net-cymru Home Page