An Iron Age hill fort near Cardiff, Wales, which was refurbished in the sub-Roman and medieval periods. Some time in the 5th or 6th century the northern end of the hill was cut off by a modest bank c3 metres wide and 1.5 metres high and a rock-cut ditch. Inside the enclosed area the excavators found the traces of a dwelling in the form of hearths, a collection of Mediterranean imported pottery, and metal-working debris such as moulds, furnaces and ovens. Very fragmentary outlines were found of two main structures including one possible hall, though it seems that dry stone used for these Dark Age buildings was re-used in the construction of the 11th-century rampart. This important subRoman phase at Dinas Powys has been attributed to a petty chief engaged in localized industrial activities. The small Norman ringwork is also of interest.
The Macmillan dictionary of archaeology, Ruth D. Whitehouse, 1983Copied