Abandoned Landscapes - The Rhinogau - Introduction
Submitted by TimPrevett on Monday, 18 September 2006 Page Views: 6150
Multi-periodCountry: Wales County: GwyneddInternal Links:
The Rhinogau
Introduction
These are most singular uplands; sylvan green hillsides tapestried with archaeological landscapes of the finest quality, surrendering to moorland as height is gained, with the gristle-tough ridge standing sentinel above.
Writing in the late 12th century Giraldus Cambrensis gives us the following portrait:
'This territory of Conan, and particularly Merionyth, is the rudest and roughest district of all Wales; the ridges of its mountains are very high and narrow, terminating in sharp peaks, and so irregularly jumbled together, that if the shepherds conversing or disputing with each other from their summits, should agree to meet, they could scarcely effect their purpose in the course of the whole day.' (Giraldus N.D.,114).
In taking an overview of the archaeology of the range, where better to start than the west side, described as 'perhaps the most intricate of all the landscapes in Snowdonia' (Crew and Musson 1996, 4-5)? This is a geographically distinct zone some 10 miles in length bounded by Traeth Bach to the north and the Afon Mawaaddach to the south. From the seashore on the west the landform rises through a variety of environments towards the rugged watershed. This was a Neolithic 'core settlement area' where communities built a series of chambered tombs, and the remarkable number of later monuments - Bronze Age stone circles, cairns, standing stones, and settlements and fields of various periods - show that it remained a place of relatively intensive settlement and social importance for millennia.
The sea and the mountains form barriers on either side creating a sense that from the Neolithic through to the Iron Age and perhaps later, this enfolded landscape was a little world with a distinct identity and cultural traditions. On the other side of the coin however, the same features provided highways to connected domains; to Ireland and around the coastline along a network of routes lost forever in the trackless sea, and more tangibly, by land over a necklace of cairn-marked passes, the most evocative of all being lined with monuments to form a 'ceremonial' trackway.
The distribution of prehistoric sites doesn't help us to identify plausible social territories, leading me to conclude that social groupings were small-scale and with no evidence for larger polities. Like historically documented arrangements in the region, 'tenure' or 'rights' were probably complex accretions of custom and practice, shifting with family fortunes, population levels and environmental changes. What I think can be assumed is that group/family territories were structured across the terrain from coastland to mountain, with settlement shifting seasonally along an east-west axis, and the main watercourses - Artro, Cwmnantcol, Ysgethin and Egryn providing conduits into the uplands.
The oldest human imprints on the landscape are likely to have been the routeways across the mountain massif, some probably being utilised from the Mesolithic. From the Bronze Age at least these appear to have been very significant elements in the social geography of the area demonstrating that despite being organised as a series of small-scale dispersed communities, the whole was closely integrated and was concerned with movement, interaction and exchange.
The most northerly trail, with one end apparently at the river mouth or crossing at Llanbedr and the other at the pass of Bwlch Moch, was ceremonialised with standing stones and cairns marking the route, and the hillfort of Moel Goeddog sitting about halfway along its seven mile length (this route is dealt with at length in chapter x).
Moving southwards, Bwlch Tyddiad famous for the 'Roman Steps' is nowadays thought to be a Medieval packhorse route. Millward and Robinson suggest it was built by Edward 1 as an overland supply route for Harlech castle (1978, 49, and see Crew and Musson 1996, 44). There is a standing stone beside the road just before the farm at Cwm Bychan but I'm not sure of its antiquity, and there is no obvious prehistoric cairn at the high point of the pass (although there is a pile of stones on a prominent rock shelf ). The floor of the pass is very bouldery and may have been unrealistic as a stock route prior to the creation of the 'steps'. Thus I think there must be a question mark over its significance in prehistoric times.
Next, the gloriously atmospheric pass of Bwlch Drws Ardudwy has a lonely cairn overlooked on both sides by the steep tumbling crags of Rhinog Fach and Rhinog Fawr. The pass above Pont Scethin is also cairned, and standing stones and the chambered tomb of Bron y Foel appear to lie on its course towards Llanbedr. The Bwlch y Rhiwgyr trail may also be associated with a number of ritual sites including the Hengwyn circles, cairns and the Cors y Gedol tomb near the crossing of the Ysgethin near Pont Fadog [note 1].
The Neolithic chambered tombs are more tangible and dateable human artefacts than the passes, but although they are spread across the central part of the zone, indicating widespread land usage, little commonality is apparent. The most northerly is at Gwern Einion about a mile from Llanbedr. Three tombs survive in the middle of the area - Dryffyn Ardudwy, Bron-y-foel and Cors y Gedol - whilst Carneddau Hengwym, the most impressive examples lie further south and at a higher elevation. As noted above, Bron-y-Foel and Cors y Gedol seem to lie on or near routeways but in general they have no consistent association with later monuments and we have probably lost forever the contingent reasons why they were built where they were [note 2].
The area has three hillforts, Moel Goedog in the north, Craig y Dinas in the centre and Pen y Dinas further south. The spacing is perhaps suggestive of the emergence of larger, more jealously guarded territories, perhaps defined by the rivers or the river valleys in some way.
The eastern slopes of the Rhinog hills are largely occupied by the moor of Crawcwellt. Much less monumentally endowed than the coastal territory it has few prominent ritual sites and no hillforts. Nonetheless, a seminal excavation of a group of round huts here identified them as Late Iron Age, associated with iron production. Remains of a Bronze Age round house were also found at this site (Crew 1998, Crew and Musson 1996). Further intensive survey in the vicinity of this site has located many other sites including burnt mounds, a possible kerb cairn, hut platforms, clearance cairns and several Medieval longhouses (Fairburn 2001).
Finally, tucked into the southern end of the Rhinogau is a small territory above the Mawaddach estuary along the Afon Dwynant. This remote haven, north east of Bontddu, has several archaeological sites and is also traversed by the ancient pathway from the west coast over Bwlch y Rhigwyr [note 3].
Note 1: The two circles, now much damaged, are adjacent to the apparent route (616214) and Bowen and Gresham (1967, 91-2) note that they may have been sited to be visible from the narrow backview from the cairn on Bwlch y Rhiwgyr. It would be interesting to test whether the positioning of some of the cairns and Llecheiddor stone circle (611217), also on this general alignment, were similarly determined (see also Bowen and Gresham 1967, 35-8, Crawford 1920, Pennant 1883, 120).
Note 2: For example the site of the house of the founder of a lineage. On the tombs generally see Bowen and Gresham 1967, 7-8, 17-19, 21-2, Powell 1973. Dryffryn (588288) started as a round cairn with a portal dolmen, similar to one 100 miles due west in Co. Carlow in Ireland. See later chapters for Gwern Einion and Carneddau Hengwym.
Note 3: Cerrig Arthur at 631188 is a small stone circle beside one route, terraced into the side of the valley with about a dozen stones visible and with a low encircling stone bank (Bowen and Gresham 1967, 38). Lynch suggests this might in fact be a settlement enclosure (Lynch 1995, 195). There is a standing stone at Cerrig y Cledd on the way to Bontddu at 643197 (Bowen and Gresham 1967, 91-3).
See here for contents page, or here for the bibliography.
Note: This is part of an original series of articles written by archaeologist M M Robinson.
We would like to know more about this location. Please feel free to add a brief description and any relevant information in your own language.
Wir möchten mehr über diese Stätte erfahren. Bitte zögern Sie nicht, eine kurze Beschreibung und relevante Informationen in Deutsch hinzuzufügen.
Nous aimerions en savoir encore un peu sur les lieux. S'il vous plaît n'hesitez pas à ajouter une courte description et tous les renseignements pertinents dans votre propre langue.
Quisieramos informarnos un poco más de las lugares. No dude en añadir una breve descripción y otros datos relevantes en su propio idioma.