Of all of Britain's great archaeological monuments the prehistoric and
later hillforts have arguably had the most profound impact on the
landscape, if only because there are so many; yet we know very little
about them. Were they recognized as being something special by those who
created them or is the 'hillfort' purely an archaeologist's 'construct'?
How were they built, who lived in them and to what uses were they put?
This book, which is richly illustrated with photography of sites
throughout England and Wales, addresses these and many other questions.
After discussing the difficult issue of definition and the great
excavations on which our knowledge is based, Ian Brown investigates in
turn the origins of hillforts, their architecture, and the role they
played in Iron Age society. He also discusses the latest theories about
their location, social significance, and chronology.
The book provides a valuable synthesis of the rich vein of research
carried out in England and Wales on hillforts over the last thirty
years. The great variability of hillforts poses many problems, and this
book should help guide both the specialist and non-specialist alike
though the complex literature. Furthermore, it has an important
conservation objective. Land use in the modern era has not been kind to
these monuments, with a significant number either disfigured or lost.
Public consciousness of their importance needs raising if their
management is to be improved and their future assured.
