United Kingdom

Banc Du

Neolithic enclosure in Pembrokeshire, Wales

Location

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Historical Context

About

Banc Du is a prominent, fairly flat-topped southwards-projecting promontory of Foel Eryr, at about 334m OD at the west end of the Preseli Hills in north Pembrokeshire, Wales. First spotted during an aerial photographic survey of the region in 1990, this hilltop enclosure consists of two non-concentric and incomplete earthworks that define a roughly oval area around the hilltop, amidst a series of cultivation features and abandoned trackways. There is a crag-line on the south-east side and steep slopes to the south and west. It overlooks the source of the Afon Syfynwy to the south-east, and afford extensive views to the south and west. Neither upland not lowland, Banc Du occupies a curious position between enclosed fields and open moor, clearly cultivated in the past, but now maintained as improved pasture for grazing sheep.

Paleolithic
Mesolithic
Neolithic
Chalcolithic
Bronze Age
Iron Age
Classical Period
Post-Classical Period
Early Modern Period
Industrial Period
Contemporary Period
Temporal Epochs

Historical Timeline

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Aerial discovery

1990

Evaluation trench opened

August 2005

Middle fills dated

3000-2600 BC

Initial silt accumulation

c. 3650 BC

Classification

Archaeological Features

Unique architectural and cultural elements found at this historical site

category

Defensive Structures

Ditches
category

Agricultural and Land Use Features

Field Systems
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Domestic and Habitation Structures

HousesVillages
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Environmental and Natural Features

Landscaped EarthworksPollen CoresSoil Layers
category

Transportation and Communication Structures

Trackways
Knowledge Base

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Reference

Details

Country

United Kingdom

Coordinates

51.94° N, -4.82° E