211:. The reason for their emergence in Britain, and their purpose, has been a subject of debate. It has been argued that they could have been military sites constructed in response to invasion from continental Europe, sites built by invaders, or a military reaction to social tensions caused by an increasing population and consequent pressure on agriculture. The dominant view since the 1960s has been that the increasing use of iron led to social changes in Britain. Deposits of iron ore were located in different places to the tin and copper ore necessary to make bronze, and as a result trading patterns shifted and the old elites lost their economic and social status. Power passed into the hands of a new group of people. Archaeologist
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believes that population increase still played a role and has stated " provided defensive possibilities for the community at those times when the stress burst out into open warfare. But I wouldn't see them as having been built because there was a state of war. They would be functional as defensive
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The hill fort is roughly rectangular and is a promentary type. It covers 6 hectares (15 acres) and originally had two ramparts and two ditches, but on the west and south sides it was defended by the steep drop. In some places the ramparts survive to a considerable height but on the north east side
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strongholds when there were tensions and undoubtedly some of them were attacked and destroyed, but this was not the only, or even the most significant, factor in their construction".
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the inner rampart and ditch have been destroyed. There are three gaps but only that on the east seems to be original.
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The Wessex
Hillforts Project: Extensive Survey of Hillfort Interiors in Central Southern England
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In 1999 a geophysical survey was carried out suggesting that
Blackers Hill originated as a
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Hill forts developed in the Late Bronze and Early Iron Age, roughly the start of the
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Adkins L and R, 1992. A Field
Archaeology Guide to Somerset Archaeology.
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structure and was then later modified, forming a developed hill fort.
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Burrows I, 1981. Hillforts and
Hilltop Settlements in Somerset.
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Burrows E J, 1924. Ancient
Earthworks and Camps of Somerset.
309:"Geophysical Survey (1999), Blackers Hill fort, Chilcompton"
283:"Iron age promontory fort, Blackers Hill, Chilcompton"
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List of hill forts and ancient settlements in
Somerset
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Payne, Andrew; Corney, Mark; Cunliffe, Barry (2007),
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386:Time Team: Swords, skulls and strongholds
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178:, England. It has been designated as a
439:Scheduled monuments in Mendip District
362:English Heritage Book of Maiden Castle
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47:Location of Blacker's Hill in Somerset
16:Iron Age hillfort in Somerset, England
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313:Somerset Historic Environment Record
287:Somerset Historic Environment Record
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340:, English Heritage, p. 1,
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315:. South West Heritage Trust
289:. South West Heritage Trust
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449:Iron Age sites in Somerset
360:Sharples, Niall M (1991),
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180:Scheduled Ancient Monument
250:National Monuments Record
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209:first millennium BC
434:Hill forts in Somerset
111:15 acres (6.1 ha)
201:Further information:
92:51.24944°N 2.52222°W
444:History of Somerset
88: /
139:Reference no.
132:Scheduled monument
97:51.24944; -2.52222
347:978-1-873592-85-4
260:on 2 October 2012
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262:. Retrieved
258:the original
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293:20 November
168:Chilcompton
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71:Coordinates
60:Chilcompton
428:Categories
232:References
197:Background
191:univallate
80:51°14′58″N
391:Channel 4
203:Hill fort
164:hill fort
83:2°31′20″W
66:, England
319:21 March
264:21 March
220:See also
176:Somerset
172:Radstock
161:Iron Age
120:Iron Age
64:Somerset
56:Location
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159:is an
142:200816
116:Built
399:2009
366:ISBN
342:ISBN
321:2011
295:2010
266:2011
108:Area
166:at
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
