Foel Drygarn facts for kids
Aerial view looking southwards
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 Location in Pembrokeshire
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| Location | Near Crymych, Wales |
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| Coordinates | 51°58′14″N 4°41′1″W / 51.97056°N 4.68361°W |
| Type | Hillfort |
| Area | 1.2 hectares (3.0 acres) |
| History | |
| Periods | Bronze Age Iron Age |
Foel Drygarn means "The hill of the three cairns." It is an ancient hillfort from the Iron Age period. Inside this fort, you can find three burial mounds, called cairns, which are even older and date back to the Bronze Age.
This historic site is located about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west of the village of Crymych in Pembrokeshire, Wales. Foel Drygarn is a very important historical place and is protected as a scheduled monument. This means it's a special site that helps us understand the past.
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What is Foel Drygarn?
Foel Drygarn is the most eastern hill in the Preseli Hills range. You can see this hill from many miles away, which suggests it was a very important place a long time ago.
Exploring the Ancient Fort
The main part of the fort is at the very top of the hill. It covers an area of about 1.2 hectares, which is roughly the size of two football fields. This inner area was protected by strong walls.
Outside this main area, there are more defenses on the north and east sides of the hill. These outer defenses were built later. All the walls were made from dry stones and earth. There are also signs of a ditch that once ran outside the inner wall, adding another layer of protection.
Homes and History Inside
Inside the main part of the fort, you'll find three large stone piles. These are the "cairns" that give the hill its name. They are believed to be burial mounds from the Bronze Age, making them much older than the fort itself.
Archaeologists have also found at least 227 flat areas, called hut platforms, within the fort. These are the places where ancient homes once stood. Finding so many platforms tells us that people lived here for a very long time. It's likely that not all the homes were used at the same time. The people who built the Iron Age fort clearly respected the older Bronze Age burial mounds, as they did not take stones from them to build their own structures.
Discoveries from the Past
In 1899, a researcher named Sabine Baring-Gould excavated parts of the site. During his work, he found many interesting objects. These included pottery from both the Iron Age and Roman times, shiny glass beads, and many sling stones. Sling stones were used as weapons, thrown with a sling to hit targets. These finds help us understand what life was like for the people who lived at Foel Drygarn thousands of years ago.
