ON THE MARGINS: HILLFORTS OF WESTPHALIA, GERMANY
Channel: European Association of Archaeologists
Date: 2021-01-05

Germany possesses a dense concentration of hillforts particularly in the southern regions of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria. The Iron Age in lowland northern Germany is distinctively different and characterised by an absence of hillforts, the predominance of distinctive byre houses and a reliance on cattle rearing. The region of Westphalia, in north-west Germany, is located at the interface of these two zones. Unfortunately, there has been relatively little study of the Iron Age in Westphalia which is surprising given its key location on the boundary between the Celtic and Germanic worlds. The extent to which the region was peripheral in the Iron Age, or conversely, a core zone of cultural contact and exchange is unclear. Indeed, while the hillforts of Westphalia display morphological similarity with others to the south, until recently none had seen anything beyond superficial excavation and it is not an exaggeration to say that we knew little about their construction, use and how they related to non-hillfort settlement and activity. A key question therefore is why do hillforts exist in this region? Was their formation a result of contact with communities to the south, or rather, a result of endogenous social needs or tensions? This paper will present new chronological, structural and artefactual data produced from ongoing excavation of several Eastern Westphalian hillforts. Drawing from interpretive models inspired from both German and British traditions, we will examine the extent to which hillforts in the region were centres of production and settlement, and the role they played in warfare and the construction of identities.


Author(s): Davis, Oliver - Dennis, Ian (Cardiff University)