Maen Llia is a standing stone which sits on moorland at in the

Brecon Beacons National Park The Brecon Beacons National Park ( cy, Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog) is one of three national parks in Wales, and is centred on the Brecon Beacons range of hills in southern Wales. It includes the Black Mountain ( cy, Y Mynydd Du) i ...

Powys Powys (; ) is a county and preserved county in Wales. It is named after the Kingdom of Powys which was a Welsh successor state, petty kingdom and principality that emerged during the Middle Ages following the end of Roman rule in Britain. Geog ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

. The stone which is a large piece of intraformational conglomerate from the

Old Red Sandstone The Old Red Sandstone is an assemblage of rocks in the North Atlantic region largely of Devonian age. It extends in the east across Great Britain, Ireland and Norway, and in the west along the northeastern seaboard of North America. It also exte ...

measures 3.7 m (12 ft) high by 2.8 m (9 ft) wide by 0.6 m (2 ft). It is roughly diamond-shaped and is partly moss-covered. Its age and original purpose are unknown though it is thought to date from the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...

. It is a popular tourist attraction, lying just 30 yards off a minor road running north from the village of

Ystradfellte Ystradfellte is a village and community in Powys, Wales, about north of Hirwaun, with 556 inhabitants. It belongs to the historic county of Brecknockshire (Breconshire) and the Fforest Fawr area of the Brecon Beacons National Park, beside the A ...

in the Waterfall Country towards the hamlet of Heol Senni and

Brecon Brecon (; cy, Aberhonddu; ), archaically known as Brecknock, is a market town in Powys, mid Wales. In 1841, it had a population of 5,701. The population in 2001 was 7,901, increasing to 8,250 at the 2011 census. Historically it was the coun ...

, the county town of Brecknockshire. There is a low heather-covered

henge There are three related types of Neolithic earthwork that are all sometimes loosely called henges. The essential characteristic of all three is that they feature a ring-shaped bank and ditch, with the ditch inside the bank. Because the internal ...

200 metres to the southwest. Another significant standing stone, Maen Madoc, lies just off the old Roman road known as

Sarn Helen Sarn Helen refers to several stretches of Roman road in Wales. The route, which follows a meandering course through central Wales, connects Aberconwy in the north with Carmarthen in the west. Despite its length, academic debate continues as t ...

about 2 miles (3.5 km) to the south. Whilst this latter stone bears legible writing, there is none visible on Maen Llia though some faint lettering was reported still to be visible in the mid twentieth century. Legend has it that the stone goes down to the river, the Afon Llia to drink on occasion. This tale seems likely to be an allusion to the fact that its shadow is cast across the moorland as far as the river when the sun is low in the evening sky. The stone is a

Scheduled Ancient Monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...

References

External links

*https://web.archive.org/web/20110611094214/http://www.brecon-beacons.com/archaelogy-Sarn-Helen-Maen-Madoc-Maen-Llia.htm *https://web.archive.org/web/20090106001419/http://www.megalithic-research-wales.co.uk/MRW/allstones/maenllia/maenllia.html {{coord, 51.86087, -3.56370, type:landmark_region:GB, format=dms, display=title Megalithic monuments in Wales History of Powys Monuments and memorials in Powys Archaeological sites in the Brecon Beacons National Park