Pen y Fan same noun "ban", in its plural form "bannau", is found in the Welsh name for the Brecon Beacons: "Bannau Brycheiniog". There is no one standard translation of "Pen y Fan", but 'the mountain's peak' or 'the beacon's summit' are both possible translations. Pen y Fan is formed from various units of the Old Red Sandstone which were laid down during the Devonian period. The lower slopes of the mountain are formed from the sandstones and mudstones of the Senni Formation whilst the upper slopes are formed from those of the Brownstones Formation. The very summit, like that of neighbouring Corn
Pen y Fan held the ashes or other remnants of a dead person or persons since multiple burials together are common in the British Bronze Age. It also held grave goods left with the human remains, such as flint tools, cinerary urns, or flower tributes. The similar round barrow on Fan Foel was excavated in 2002-4 and revealed such items in the central cist, the flowers being those of meadowsweet. The name "Pen y Fan" consists of the Welsh words "pen" ('top, head, peak, summit', etc.), "y" ('the') and "fan", a mutated form of "ban" ('summit, crest, peak, beacon, hill, mountain', etc.). The