Why did the Iron Age Celts settle on Hambledon Hill? - page 1
Keywords: History Celts Iron Age Settlements
By Jenny on 02/07/2009
Level: GCSE Key Stage 4 (Years 10-11)
Page Number: 1 of 4 pages: 1 2 3 4
AQA GCSE History A - SHP
Coursework Model A
Assignment 1 - Local History Study
Dorset In The Iron Age
Why did the Iron Age Celts settle on Hambledon Hill?
The basic needs of a human of any race or culture are food, water and shelter. Once this has been provided, we start thinking of extras such as central heating, cars, ensuite bathrooms and personal items like clothes and books. Two thousand years ago, a Celtic tribe called the Durotriges were looking for somewhere with a water supply, fertile land for their crops and a shelter - but also for nearby building supplies, defence systems, grazing land for animals, and ways to protect themselves against their enemies. Did Hambledon Hill offer them all these things?
The Iron Age Celts were not the first humans to leave their mark on the hill. There is a large Neolithic complex south east of the Iron Age fort which has been excavated and dated to 2900 - 2600 BC. Archaeologists have yet to agree on what exactly the Neolithic causewayed enclosure was for, but there have been suggestions of fortifications, cattle kraals, a site for ritual feasting or a cemetery. In Celtic times, the Neolithic area was certainly used as a cemtery, with skulls and bones buried in the barrows and ditches. The Iron Age Celts may have realised that the hill had been settled upon once before and this would have encouraged them to settle.
The food of the Celts was very meat-based, and they reared and ate cattle, pigs and sheep. Wild boar, deer and possibly game birds were hunted too, and fish were caught in rivers. Celts also ate shellfish, but we can assume that the Celts settling on Hambledon Hill would not have been able to include that in their diets, being situated so far from the sea. The fertile land on and surrounding the hill would have been ideal for raising animals and there would be plenty of room for grazing, and the forests around the hill would have been home to many animals such as boar and deer.
As well as eating the fish from the nearby River Stour, it was one of the main sources of water. It is possible that they collected their own rain water too, as the Stour is quite a journey from the hill itself - especially when taking into consideration the climb up and down it. Another possible use for the
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