Roundhouses
to the Iran Age Fortress
pointing the way
A large portion of the interior of
the hill fort has been excavated, and this has produced detailed information
about the layout of the site and the lifestyle of its inhabitants — so much so
that a number of roundhouses and a granary have been recreated on the exact
location of the original Iron Age structures.
the granary
The granary and one of the old roundhouses are the oldest reconstructed prehistoric buildings in Britain. The first roundhouse (Roundhouse One) was excavated in 1981 and is located to the south-east of the site. Reconstructed the following year. it has a diameter of 10 m (33ft) and is unique in that it has an inner ring of timber posts.
the hill fort
Roundhouse Two is a smaller building (6m (20ft), in diameter). while Roundhouse Three is roughly the same size as Roundhouse One but. unlike its counterpart. it did not have an inner ring of wooden posts.
bank and moat around the hill fort
reconstructed roundhouse
As well as the roundhouses. the site contained deposits such as carbonized hone.
charcoal. grain, several iron objects. pieces of pottery. glass heads and a few
spindle whorls. Although the site is Iron Age, only a small number of iron
objects have been found there. such as a small hunting spearhead and a sickle
blade. This indicates what a highly valued commodity it was, and that was never
needlessly discarded but was probably carefully recycled instead
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