Archaeological Highlights

Arguably the most iconic of all the archaeological sites located within the College Valley are its hillforts. These were built by ancient British communities, some 2,300 years ago, during the period we now call the Iron Age. Each hillfort in the College Valley is different, but they all have one feature in common; a central area, surrounded by earth and stone ramparts, that often contains evidence of timber-built roundhouses.

The big question for anyone who visits a hillfort has to be Why? Why was this structure built? Why in this position? Why did people quarry all these stones to build the once massive walls?

The answers are, of course, lost to us. We can only build a picture of the Iron Age from the physical evidence we see around us and the ideas, images and understandings of our own time.

In the 19th century, antiquarians imagined that the ancient Britons were bloodthirsty barbarians living in a society based on hostile, marauding tribes. They decided that these structures were defensive and called them ‘hillforts’ - a term that may say more about the outlook of the people doing the naming than the named!

Modern archaeologists believe that Iron Age life was less brutish and more peaceful and suggest other possible uses for these hill-top enclosures. Impressing the neighbours seems to have been important. Staw Hill is a good example of a hillfort where the section of wall facing the neighbouring hillfort (in this case, Mid Hill) was large and elaborate whereas on the opposite side, away from the neighbours, the wall was lower and more simple in construction.

It is possible that some hillforts were seasonal settlements. We know that cattle were immensely important to Iron Age people and maybe, like many pastoral communities, they brought their stock up into the hills for summer grazing but returned to the lowlands for the winter.

Other people suggest that at least some of the hillforts were used for ceremonies. It is quite possible that not all the hillforts had the same function. We hope that current and future research into the College Valley hillforts will shed new light on their purpose and use.

Whatever they were built for, these prominent and powerful landmarks have attracted people for generations. We know that the sites were re-used; several hillforts contain the remains of rectangular houses built many centuries after the hillfort itself. Although now less visible from the valley floor, the hillforts still draw people to experience the mystery and wonder ancient times.