There are 58 scheduled monuments in Bath and North East Somerset. Bath and North East Somerset (commonly referred to as BANES or B&NES) is a unitary authority created on 1 April 1996, following the abolition of the County of Avon, which had existed since 1974. Part of the ceremonial county of Somerset, Bath and North East Somerset occupies an area of 220 square miles (570 km2), two-thirds of which is green belt. A scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or monument which is given legal protection by being placed on a list (or "schedule") by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport; English Heritage takes the leading role in identifying such sites. Some of the oldest scheduled monuments in Bath and North East Somerset are Neolithic including the Stanton Drew stone circles and several tumuli. There are also several Iron Age hillforts such as Maes Knoll, which was later incorporated into the medieval Wansdyke, a defensive earthwork. The Romano-British period is represented with several sites, most notably the Roman Baths (pictured) and city walls in Bath. (Full list...)