Din Dryfol Chambered Tomb

Din Dryfol is a Neolithic burial chamber on the Isle of Anglesey in Wales. It stands on a small hill near Bethel, a scheduled monument maintained by Cadw. Archaeologists have identified three phases of use, all from the Neolithic period. The site was built in stages, starting about 5,000 years ago. It is a type of passage grave more common in Ireland than in Wales. The remains include a main chamber with side slabs and a capstone that has slipped sideways. Excavations in the 1960s and 1970s revealed a second chamber to the northeast, now gone except for two post holes. A third chamber, about 5 metres long, survives partly with a tall portal stone and a stone stump. The whole complex was once covered by a long mound of earth or rubble, now vanished. Finds include pieces of pottery and cremation sites. The site shows signs of disturbance from Roman times and later quarrying in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was recorded in 1871 by H Pritchard and excavated by F Lynch in two phases. The entrance posts to the second chamber were found during these digs. Today the stones stand exposed on the hillside, silent witnesses to ancient rituals.