Beacons in the landscape : the hillforts of England, Wales and the Isle of Man / Ian Brown.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Brown, I. W. (Ian William), author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Earthworks (Archaeology)--England.

Earthworks (Archaeology).

England.

Earthworks (Archaeology)--Wales.

Earthworks (Archaeology)--Isle of Man.

Iron age--Great Britain.

Iron age.

Great Britain.

Iron age--Wales.

Wales.

England--Antiquities.

Antiquities.

Wales--Antiquities.

Isle of Man--Antiquities.

Isle of Man.

Great Britain Miscellaneous Island Dependencies--Isle of Man.

Physical Description:

xiv, 355 pages : illustrations (some colour) ; 25 cm

Edition:

Second edition.

Place of Publication:

Oxford : Windgather Press, 2021.

Summary:

"Of all of Britain's great archaeological monuments the prehistoric and later hillforts have arguably had the most profound impact on the landscape, if only because there are so many; yet we know very little about them. Were they recognised as being something special by those who created them or is the ‘hillfort’ purely an archaeologist's 'construct'? How were they built, who lived in them and to what uses were they put? This book, which is richly illustrated with photography of sites throughout England and Wales, addresses these and many other questions. After discussing the difficult issue of definition and the great excavations on which our knowledge is based, Ian Brown investigates in turn the origins of hillforts, their architecture and the role they played in Iron Age society. He also discusses the latest theories about their location, social significance and chronology. The book provides a valuable synthesis of the rich vein of research carried out in England and Wales on hillforts over the last thirty years. The great variability of hillforts poses many problems, and this book should help guide both the specialist and non-specialist alike though the complex literature. Furthermore, it has an important conservation objective. Land use in the modern era has not been kind to these monuments, with a significant number either disfigured or lost. Public consciousness of their importance needs raising if their management is to be improved and their future assured."--Publisher description.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: pt. 1 The `elusive' hillfort

1. Hillforts

an introduction

2. From antiquarian to modern

pt. 2 Defining the space

3. Hillfort origins

4. Enclosure

around the circuits

5. Inside the enclosures

pt. 3 Hillfort and society

6. Environment, society and hillfort people

7. Hillfort economy

8. Superstition, belief and ritual

9. Hillforts and Rome

10. Later use and reuse of hillforts

pt. 4 Hillforts

function and social significance

11. Hillforts

new theories, new questions

12. Beacons in the landscape

a synthesis of ideas.

Notes:

Previous edition: 2008.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781911188759

1911188755

OCLC:

1247944746