Scheduled MonumentsWalesMynydd Myddfai ring cairn
Prehistoric · Ring Cairn

Mynydd Myddfai ring cairn

Carmarthenshire, Wales
Cadw SAM CM346
Period
Prehistoric
Site type
Ring Cairn
Broad class
Religious, Ritual and Funerary
Nation
Wales
The designation
Reference
Cadw SAM CM346
Authority
Cadw
Designated
2004-09-23
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Mynydd Myddfai ring cairn is a prehistoric ring cairn located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference CM346. Ring cairns of this type typically date to the Bronze Age and comprise a circular or near-circular bank of stones surrounding an open or partially filled central area. They are believed to have served ritual or ceremonial functions, though their exact purpose remains uncertain. Their distribution across upland regions suggests they held particular significance for prehistoric communities occupying these landscapes.

The monument sits on bedrock comprising Ludlow Rocks, an undifferentiated sequence of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone formed during the Ludlow epoch of the Silurian period, around 425 million years ago. This geology would have influenced both the character of the surrounding terrain and the availability of stone for the cairn's construction. The upland setting typical of such monuments reflects Bronze Age use of moorland and higher ground for burial and ceremonial purposes.

Ring cairns remain amongst the most enigmatic monuments of Bronze Age Britain and Wales. Unlike more elaborate barrows, their lack of obvious burial structures and variable preservation makes interpretation challenging. Mynydd Myddfai contributes to understanding how prehistoric Welsh communities marked and used their landscape, and its protected status recognises its archaeological and cultural significance within the broader heritage of the region.

Mynydd Myddfai ring cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CM346. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Mynydd Myddfai ring cairn?

Mynydd Myddfai ring cairn is a prehistoric ring cairn located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference CM346.

What period does Mynydd Myddfai ring cairn date from?

Mynydd Myddfai ring cairn dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a ring cairn. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Mynydd Myddfai ring cairn?

Mynydd Myddfai ring cairn is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Cadw — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Wales. The official designation reference is CM346.

What other scheduled monuments are near Mynydd Myddfai ring cairn?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Garn Las platform cairn (5.5 km), Stone Setting on Waun Llwyd (5.7 km), Twyn yr Esgair Settlement (6.4 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Mynydd Myddfai ring cairn

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Mynydd Myddfai ring cairn's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Mynydd Myddfai ring cairn

Mynydd Myddfai ring cairn stands on Ludlow Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Ludlow. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.