Dinas Powys hillfort facts for kids
The Dinas Powys hillfort is an ancient fort built on a hill. It's located near Dinas Powys in Glamorgan, Wales. This hillfort was built during the Iron Age, a long time ago.
Many thousands of hillforts were built across Great Britain during the Iron Age. We are still learning why people built them. The main part of Dinas Powys hillfort was built on the highest point of the hill. This happened around 300 or 200 years before Jesus was born (BCE).
Later, around 100 BCE, two more parts were added. These are called the Southern Banks. People stopped living at the fort when the Roman Empire ruled Britain. But in the 400s CE, people returned during the early Middle Ages. They built new parts onto the fort.
From 1954 to 1958, a team of archaeologists dug up the site. They were led by Leslie Alcock. The local Welsh people called the hillfort dinas, which means "city". This is likely how the nearby village of Dinas Powys got its name.
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History of Dinas Powys Hillfort
The Dinas Powys hillfort is in the eastern part of the Vale of Glamorgan. This area in south Wales has many hills and valleys. The fort was built on a long, narrow hill. This hill is about a quarter of a mile long.
The main fort was on the highest, narrowest part of the hill. It had strong defenses. On the west side, there was one bank. On the east, there were two banks. The southern entrance had four ramparts, which are like walls or mounds.
The fort was also close to the River Ely. This river had a harbor that was important for trade. People used this harbor for trading even before the hillfort was built.
Life in the Iron Age and Roman Times
The first part of Dinas Powys hillfort was built during the Iron Age. This was around 300 or 200 BCE. People lived there, as shown by the many pieces of Iron Age pottery found. Archaeologists also found postholes, which are holes where wooden posts for buildings once stood. This means there were probably buildings inside the fort.
The second phase of building happened later in the Iron Age, around 100 BCE. This is when the two Southern Banks were added. These were built on the southern end of the hill, away from the main fort. The archaeologist Leslie Alcock thought these banks were never fully finished. For example, there was no gate built between them. This would have made them less useful for defense.
For a long time, archaeologists believed hillforts were mainly for defense. They thought people built them because different tribes were often at war. Leslie Alcock described the main Dinas Powys fort as "heavily defended." But he noted that the Southern Banks were not as strong.
Around 100 CE, the Roman Empire took over southern Britain. This time is called Roman Britain. Roman and local British cultures mixed. This period lasted until the 400s CE, when the Roman armies left. During Roman times, many people lived in the Vale of Glamorgan. At least three Roman villas were built nearby.
It's not clear if people still lived at Dinas Powys hillfort during Roman times. Not many Roman objects have been found there. Other local sites have many more Roman items. This suggests the hillfort was not a main settlement then.
The Early Middle Ages (Post-Roman Era)
People started living at the hillfort again after the Romans left. This was in the 400s and 500s CE. Archaeologists call this the "Early Christian period." During this time, at least two new buildings were constructed inside the fort. These buildings might have been made of stone, not wood.
Archaeologists believe one building, called House I, was a hall. A local leader and their family likely lived there. House II might have been a storage building or barn. Servants or workers might have slept there too.
Many hearths (fireplaces) were also built in the fort. Some were used for making things, not just for cooking. This suggests that metalworking happened at the site. Archaeologists found signs that both a blacksmith and a jeweller worked there. These skilled workers might have come from Ireland looking for work. The leader of Dinas Powys probably hired them.
Near some of these hearths, archaeologists found the burial of a child. The child was about five years old. This burial likely dates to this period. Even though the grave was simple, the child's body was carefully placed. This shows respect for old traditions, even if it was a Christian burial.
The people living at the fort in the Early Middle Ages produced a lot of rubbish. They threw this trash into large pits called middens. These pits were along the eastern side of the site. So much rubbish was found that it was the largest collection of Early Christian items in Wales at the time.
The main way people made a living at Dinas Powys was by raising animals. They mostly raised cattle and sheep. However, many animals were killed before they could have babies. This means they probably had to bring in new animals from other places to keep their herds going.
People also ate bread. They used rotary querns to grind grain, which was likely grown nearby. Metalworking was also important to their economy. The leaders traded animal products and metal goods. This allowed them to get luxury items like wine, oil, and pottery. These goods came from places around the Irish Sea and even southern Europe.
People also tried to build more defenses for the site during this time. Archaeologists believe one ditch and bank, called Ditch II and Bank II, were built then. They were not as well-built as other defenses. Leslie Alcock noted that the defenses were not very strong in the 400s CE. But he said this was common for other Welsh sites from that time.
The Late Middle Ages (Norman Period)
After the Norman invasion of Wales, Dinas Powys continued to be used. This was in the 1000s and 1100s CE. During this time, new banks (Banks 1, 3, and 4) were built. These made the site much stronger for defense. Leslie Alcock said these defenses were "well contrived and laboriously constructed."
Later, even more building happened. Alcock thought that Dinas Powys was not a place where people lived all the time. Instead, it was probably a military strong-point. Soldiers might have stayed there in tents when needed.
Modern Times
In the 1800s, the hillfort appeared on an early map. It was called Beili Castell. But this name doesn't seem to have a real reason behind it. Later maps did not always show the fort.
Excavating Dinas Powys
Archaeologists first became interested in the hillfort in 1913. A Mrs. H. Lewis mentioned it in a magazine. Later, the famous archaeologist Mortimer Wheeler also wrote about it. Wheeler even made the first accurate map of the fort for the National Museum of Wales.
In the mid-1950s, professors at University College, Cardiff decided to dig up the hillfort. They wanted it to be a training site for their students. In 1953, archaeologists looked at several sites in south Wales. They chose Dinas Powys hillfort as the best one.
They got permission from the landowners and the Forestry Commission. They also received a small grant to start. The excavations began in January 1954. The digging continued for four years, until 1958. Most of the work was done on weekends in spring and early summer. They also worked during Easter holidays and in July-August 1958.
More money for the excavation came from different groups. These included the Glamorgan County Council and the British Academy. Most of the work was done by volunteers. These were students from University College Cambridge and local archaeology groups. However, paid workers were hired to fill in the excavated areas because it was hard physical labor.
The archaeologists decided to leave some parts of the site untouched. They wanted future archaeologists to be able to check their findings and ideas.
One of the main archaeologists, Leslie Alcock, wrote a book about the hillfort in 1963. It was called Dinas Powys: An Iron Age, Dark Age and Early Medieval Settlement in Glamorgan. A reviewer said the book was excellent. It went beyond just reporting the dig. It also explored the important meaning of the discoveries, especially for the Early Middle Ages.
