Plainsfield Camp facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Plainsfield Camp |
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Plan of earthworks at Plainsfield Camp, Park Plantation
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| Location | Aisholt in Somerset, England |
| Area | 0.9 hectares (2.2 acres) |
| Built | Iron Age |
| Reference no. | 189501 |
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Plainsfield Camp is an ancient site on the Quantock Hills in Somerset, England. It is also known as Park Plantation or Cockercombe Castle. This site is believed to be an Iron Age earthwork, which means it's a structure made from earth.
Experts are not sure if Plainsfield Camp was a hill fort (a defended settlement) or an enclosure for animals. Here are some reasons why it might have been an animal pen:
- It has only one wall (rampart) with a ditch.
- The entrance is very simple.
- It is built on the side of a hill, not on the very top.
- The hill rises more than 50 meters above the ring-shaped structure.
- The area is quite small, only about 0.9 hectares (2.2 acres).
However, Plainsfield Camp is on a ridge with steep slopes on two sides. This makes it similar to a promontory fort, like Ruborough nearby. This type of fort uses natural defenses like steep hillsides. Plainsfield Camp is protected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument. This means it is an important historical site.
What Are Hill Forts?
Hill fort Hill forts are large, ancient structures often found on hills. They were built a very long time ago, around the start of the first thousand years BC. This period is known as the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age. People built them by digging ditches and piling up earth to create walls.
Scientists and historians have different ideas about why these forts were built. Some think they were military sites, used for defense against invaders. Others believe they were built because of social tensions, maybe due to a growing population.
Many experts now think that the discovery of iron changed society a lot. Iron was found in different places than the metals used for bronze. This changed trade routes and how people lived. Hill forts might have offered protection when there were conflicts. They were not always built because of war, but they could be used for defense if fighting broke out.
Images for kids
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3D view of the digital terrain model
