Merlin's Hill has, at its summit, the site of an Iron Age Hillfort. Dating back to around 400 B.C., it is one of the few large hillforts in West Wales whose size alone suggests that they were centres of power controlling large territories.
When the Roman armies entered the Towy Valley in AD 75 and established first a fort and then a town at Moridunum, the modern Carmarthen, the hillfort may still have been a focus of economic power, perhaps for tribal gatherings.
In 1188, Gerald of Wales wrote that Merlin was born in Carmarthen. Merlin - King Arthur's guardian with magical powers - is believed to have lived in a cave on Merlin's Hill. This cave was to serve as his home and tomb as, according to legend, he was locked there in bonds of enchantment by his lover. Alas, the cave has become lost with the passage of time but many still hear Merlin clanking his chains on Merlin's Hill.
