Hill fort

The term hill fort is commonly used by archeologists to describe fortified enclosures located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. This fortification consists of one or more circular or sub-circular earth or stone ramparts, often with external ditches, following the contours of the hill.

Related Topics:
Archeologists - Rampart

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Beyond this definition the variation in types and periods is wide. Some were also settlements whilst others appear only to have been occupied seasonally or in times of strife. Further, many hill forts, after careful archeological excavation, have been discovered to have been used not for military purposes, but to pen in cattle, horses, or other domesticated animals.

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Hill forts are especially common across Europe. In Central Europe, hill-forts start with the late Neolithic, but are especially common in the Bronze Age Urnfield culture and in the Hallstatt culture of the early Iron Age, and were being built until the Roman conquest in many areas. Julius Caesar described the large late Iron Age hill forts he encountered during his campaigns as oppida. By this time the larger ones had become more like cities than fortresses and many were assimilated as Roman towns.

Related Topics:
Neolithic - Bronze Age - Urnfield - Hallstatt culture - Iron Age - Roman - Julius Caesar - Oppida

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