Highbury Hill, Clutton facts for kids

Highbury Hill is an amazing ancient site in Clutton, Somerset, England. It's home to the remains of an Iron Age hillfort. A hillfort was like an ancient village or fort built on top of a hill.

This special place is in a wooded area on a narrow ridge. It's protected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument. This means it's a really important historical site for the whole country. It's kept safe from any changes that aren't allowed.

The site covers about 3 hectares (7.4 acres) of woodland. It sits on a ridge with steep slopes all around it. You can still see an outer bank, which is like a small wall, about 0.5 metres (1.6 feet) high. There's also a shallow ditch next to it, about 8 metres (26 feet) wide. In the late 1700s, some old Roman silver coins were even found here!

What is a Hillfort?

Hillforts were special settlements built a very long time ago. They started appearing in Britain during the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age. This was around the start of the first thousand years BC.

Why Were Hillforts Built?

People have wondered for a long time why these hillforts were made. Some think they were military bases to protect against invaders. Others believe they were built by invaders themselves. Another idea is that they were a way to deal with social problems. As more people lived in Britain, there was less land for farming. This could have caused arguments and even small wars.

Most experts today think that new tools made from iron changed society. Iron was found in different places than the metals used for bronze. This meant that old trading routes changed. Powerful families who controlled the bronze trade might have lost their importance. New groups of people then gained power.

Hillforts for Protection

Archaeologist Barry Cunliffe believes that more people living in an area was a big reason for hillforts. He suggests that these forts offered a safe place for communities. They could go there when tensions led to fighting. He doesn't think they were built because there was always a war. Instead, they were useful strongholds when problems arose. Some hillforts were attacked and destroyed, but this wasn't the only reason they were built.

Images for kids

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  3D view of the digital terrain model