Rudbaxton Rath is a ring-shaped enclosure together with a ringed keep in the parish of Rudbaxton. It is the remains of a medieval defensive ringfort, hillfort or castle, probably made of timber. At the site are the remains of light earthwork. The nearly circular interior area is surrounded by a counterscarp and measures around 100 metres north to south by 95 metres east to west. A possible entrance has been identified at the north side. There is a rampart that is around 3 metres high. Within the western rampart an elliptical enclosure can be seen, measuring (north-northwest to south-southeast) roughly 50 metres by 32 metres.

Artefacts at the site include unspecified armour and two rings made of iron approximately 20 cm across. Two twisted iron rings were discovered about 20 cm in diameter. It is possible that they were once torcs. Also found at the site is a half-scale model of a human hand, also made of iron. This hand may be Roman or Iron Age.

Exterior to the enclosure at the east are the remains of a chapel.

References:

Comments

Your name



User Reviews

Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Monte d'Accoddi

Monte d"Accoddi is a Neolithic archaeological site in northern Sardinia, located in the territory of Sassari. The site consists of a massive raised stone platform thought to have been an altar. It was constructed by the Ozieri culture or earlier, with the oldest parts dated to around 4,000–3,650 BC.

The site was discovered in 1954 in a field owned by the Segni family. No chambers or entrances to the mound have been found, leading to the presumption it was an altar, a temple or a step pyramid. It may have also served an observational function, as its square plan is coordinated with the cardinal points of the compass.

The initial Ozieri structure was abandoned or destroyed around 3000 BC, with traces of fire found in the archeological evidence. Around 2800 BC the remains of the original structure were completely covered with a layered mixture of earth and stone, and large blocks of limestone were then applied to establish a second platform, truncated by a step pyramid (36 m × 29 m, about 10 m in height), accessible by means of a second ramp, 42 m long, built over the older one. This second temple resembles contemporary Mesopotamian ziggurats, and is attributed to the Abealzu-Filigosa culture.

Archeological excavations from the chalcolithic Abealzu-Filigosa layers indicate the Monte d"Accoddi was used for animal sacrifice, with the remains of sheep, cattle, and swine recovered in near equal proportions. It is among the earliest known sacrificial sites in Western Europe.

The site appears to have been abandoned again around 1800 BC, at the onset of the Nuragic age.

The monument was partially reconstructed during the 1980s. It is open to the public and accessible by the old route of SS131 highway, near the hamlet of Ottava. It is 14,9 km from Sassari and 45 km from Alghero. There is no public transportation to the site. The opening times vary throughout the year.