Hillfort Communities in Early Iron Age Europe
Channel: Recording Archaeology
Date: 2019-04-15

The Iron Age in temperate Europe is characterised by the emergence of hillforts. While such sites can be highly variable, they also share many common characteristics, implying cultural linkages across a wide geographical area. Yet, the interpretation of hillforts has increasingly seen significant divergence in theoretical approaches in different European countries. In particular, Iron Age studies in Britain have become increasingly separated from those adopted in central Europe. This paper attempts to address this issue by analysing the archaeologies of two of the best-known hillforts in Europe – Danebury, in Wessex, southern England, and the Heuneburg, in Baden-Wurttemberg, south-western Germany. The paper highlights that the two sites possess remarkably similar occupational sequences despite being the creation of very different Iron Age societies. These synergies are argued to be a result of similar responses to a shared problem – how to create and sustain a large community of people. 

Oliver Davis (Cardiff University)