Figsbury Ring facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Figsbury Ring |
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 Figsbury Ring
Location in the United Kingdom
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| Location | Salisbury, Wiltshire, South West, England |
| Area | 11.2 ha (28 acres) |
| Established | 1975 |
| Governing body | National Trust |
| Website | PastScape |
Figsbury Ring is a fascinating ancient site in Wiltshire, England. It covers about 11.2 hectares and is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. This means it's a very important place for both its history and its wildlife. The site is cared for by the National Trust, a charity that protects special places.
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Exploring Figsbury Ring's Earthworks
Figsbury Ring is known for its amazing earthworks. These are like giant shapes made from earth, including mounds and ditches. They form a nearly circular area on a chalk ridge near Salisbury. This area covers about 6.4 hectares.
Early Discoveries
In 1924, two archaeologists named Ben and Maud Cunnington started digging at Figsbury Ring. They thought it might be an Iron Age Hill fort. A hill fort is a type of fortress built on a hill, usually for protection. Figsbury Ring has an outer ditch and a rampart (a defensive wall of earth), which made it look like a hill fort.
However, there was also a mysterious inner ditch. This inner ditch was quite far from the outer rampart. This made many archaeologists wonder if it was really a hill fort. They thought it might have started as a much older site called a Henge. A henge is a circular earthwork, often from the late Neolithic period.
Digging Deeper into History
In 1981, a small survey was done to see if there was an earth bank linked to the inner ditch. The results were not clear.
Then, in 1982, the objects found by the Cunningtons were looked at again. This time, Margaret Guido and Isobel Smith studied them. They found different types of ancient pottery, like Grooved Ware and Beaker pottery. These finds showed that people lived at Figsbury Ring much earlier than the Iron Age.
Later, in 2003 and 2004, a student named Philip Dunn studied the objects again. He confirmed the earlier findings. He also found flint tools that showed people were living there during the Neolithic period.
What Was Figsbury Ring?
After these studies, a bigger survey was done using special equipment. This survey looked at almost half of the inside of Figsbury Ring. It didn't find any clear signs of an inner bank. However, it did find hints of possible ancient structures. This suggested that the site might be very old indeed.
When experts looked at Figsbury Ring along with other ancient sites nearby, they came up with new ideas. It's possible that Figsbury Ring started as a Causewayed enclosure. This was a type of ancient meeting place or settlement. Later, it might have been changed into a Henge monument. This could have happened in the late Neolithic or early Bronze Age.
We can be quite sure that people lived at Figsbury Ring, even if it was only for short periods, around 2500 BC. The site seems to have been changed again later, during the late Bronze Age or early Iron Age. Figsbury Ring is still a place with many secrets waiting to be fully discovered!
Images for kids
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A 3D view of the digital terrain model, showing the earthworks.
