Coombe Hill, East Sussex facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Coombe Hill |
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 194 m (636 ft) |
| Prominence | c. 20 m |
| Geography | |
| Location | South Downs, England |
| OS grid | TQ576022 |
| Topo map | OS Landranger 194 |
Coombe Hill is a special hill located near Jevington in East Sussex, England. It's not just any hill; it's a place where amazing discoveries from ancient times have been made! People have found evidence of early humans living here, including a very old type of settlement called a causewayed enclosure.
This hill has been important for thousands of years. It shows us how people lived and used the land long, long ago.
Contents
Discovering Coombe Hill's Past
Coombe Hill is famous for its ancient history. Archaeologists, who are like history detectives, have found many clues here. These clues tell us about people who lived on the hill thousands of years ago.
What is a Causewayed Enclosure?
Around 3200 BC, which is about 5,200 years ago, people built a special area on Coombe Hill. This was a Neolithic causewayed enclosure. The Neolithic period is also known as the New Stone Age.
- It was a large area, about 6,000 square meters. That's bigger than a football field!
- It had two circular ditches, one inside the other.
- These ditches were not continuous. They had gaps, like a broken circle. These gaps are called "causeways."
- Historians believe these enclosures were used for different things. They might have been places for meetings, ceremonies, or even protecting animals.
What Did Archaeologists Find?
In 1949, archaeologists dug up parts of Coombe Hill. They found many interesting things that helped them understand the past.
- Animal bones: These bones show what animals people hunted or kept.
- Flint tools: Flint is a type of stone. Early humans used it to make sharp tools for cutting and scraping.
- Pottery: They found pieces of pottery called "Ebbsfleet type Peterborough ware." This pottery helps archaeologists date the site. It also shows how people made and used pots.
- Chalk block: A small chalk block with engravings was also found. This could have been used for decoration or for special rituals.
Later Discoveries on the Hill
Coombe Hill remained important long after the Stone Age.
- Bronze Age Burials: Later, during the Bronze Age, people built bowl barrows around the enclosure. These were round mounds of earth built over graves. This shows the hill was still a special place for burials.
- Roman Finds: Even Roman pottery was found in the upper layers of the ditches. This means people were still visiting or using the site many centuries later, during the time of the Roman Empire.
These discoveries show that Coombe Hill was a significant place for a very long time, from the Stone Age to the Roman period.
What Does "Coombe" Mean?
The word coombe (or combe) has an interesting history. It comes from an ancient language called Brythonic. This language was spoken by early people in Britain. In Brythonic, "coombe" means "hollow" or "valley." This name perfectly describes the shape of the land around the hill.
Images for kids
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Combe Hill
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Plan of Combe Hill enclosure showing location of excavations. Musson's trenches in 1949 are in yellow, labelled 1 and 2, and Seton-Williams' trenches in 1962 are in blue, labelled A through G.
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Combe Hill
