Why did the Iron Age Celts settle on Hambledon Hill? - page 2
Keywords: History Celts Iron Age Settlements
By Jenny on 02/07/2009
Level: GCSE Key Stage 4 (Years 10-11)
Page Number: 2 of 4 pages: 1 2 3 4
river is the Celtic religious ceremonies. After the capture of enemy warriors it was custom for the Celtic priests, called druids, to cast the enemies' weapons and adornments in to a lake or river. Celtic brooches, swords, shields and other metalwork have been discovered in lakes situated near Iron Age settlements so it is very possible that the Durotriges used the River Stour for the same purpose - if they were successful in battle.
As well as meat and fish, the Celts ate wild fruits and nuts. These probably grew in the forests surrounding the hill. Bread was also an important part of their meals, baked from corn, and porridge made from oats, cheese from the milk of the cattle, sheep or goats; all of these things could have been made by a tribe living on Hambledon Hill. With their meals, Celts drank ale, mead and wine. Families made ale from barley, or sometimes wheat, oats or rye, and wine was imported from other countries by the chief of the tribe. Bees were kept to make honey, the main ingredient of mead, but honey was also used as a sweetener in many other dishes.
When compared with other potential places to settle locally, Hambledon Hill would have been an easy choice, having a summit of 189m; its neighbour, Hod Hill, only 143.5m. Its perimeter is also bigger, 2103m to Hod Hill's 1874m. The flat ground on the top of the hill is ideal for building structures such as houses and granaries, and its steep slopes useful when the tribe came under attack. There is room for animals to graze and the land around surrounding is fertile. However, the Celts did make moderations to the hill. The ramparts surrounding the main enclosure are up to 21m from the outside, but just 1.2m inside, above the level of the natural slope. Around most of the enclosure, three ramparts are visible. Three entrances were created in the north, north-east and south-east. The slope of the hill is gentler in the south, and as it was therefore the weak spot in the hill fort, the ramparts were built higher - but not high enough to protect the Durotriges from the Romans.
When fighting against other tribes, or Romans, the ramparts were the main defence system. Climbing up the steep slopes whilst being attacked by the inhabitants of the hill fort from above was hard enough; if
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