Is there enough evidence to prove why Celts settled down ...

Today, Hambledon Hill is usually one of Dorset’s most outstanding and special landmarks. Right now, it is house to a few grazing cows, but in the past it has been the home of several people.

Some of the most well-known inhabitants of the hillside in the past had been the Celts of Dorset’s Durotrige group, during the Iron Age. There are many reasons why these individuals choose to settle on Hambledon, and this essay aims to examine for what reason Hambledon was chosen. Before deciding so why the Celts chose Hambledon as the positioning for a pay out, we need to check out who they are, and thus what they would require from money. As the Celts would not often record things in writing, the evidence that modern historians have is derived from two sources. The first of these are writings by their intruders, the Aventure, and the second is archaeological evidence.

The individuals that this essay is learning lived around the hill coming from circa 750BC to the Both roman occupation of 43AD. These were the 1st farmers, developing their own crops, and parenting their own animals, so therefore flat and suitable for farming land would be an essential requirement of a ft. Archaeological pluie such as ploughs and other farming machinery located across Europe show the Celts had been farmers, and provide a beneficial insight into the crops cultivated, and ways of farming. The Celts retained many animals such as cattle and sheep for generate such as constructed from wool, leather, dairy and meats, and mounts were certainly kept pertaining to transport and working in agriculture. The Celts also grew forms of barley, wheat and rye.

Another essential aspect in the fort would be defence. A great invading Roman Soldier described the Celts in Dorset as ‘a sturdy persons, fierce and warlike’. In the event they were ‘warlike’ they were more likely to start wars and a fort that was easy to defend would be an distinctive advantage in the enemies. Archaeological evidence implies that the Celts had basic forms of funds, which they utilized to trade with other tribes, and so being geographically close additional tribes was an advantage for any settlement.

Therefore , having reviewed what the Celts would require from money, the task is always to investigate the properties of Hambledon Mountain and it’s ability to provide the required internet site for a pay out. Initially, the obvious aspect of Hambledon Hill can be evident in its name; ‘Hill’. This would have already been an important reason the Celts chose to inhabit the area, due to the clear defensive features of high earth.

Defence was definitely an important advantage, because during the Neolithic period, the Roman Armies were rampaging across Europe and Upper Africa, therefore the Celts would have to be able to defend themselves. In addition to this threat, the Durotriges might have required defence from the other parts of the Celtic contemporary society, such as the Belgae from the east, and Dumnonii from the western. The Celts significantly included in the defences, building huge ramparts and ditches Another aspect in finding why the Durotriges chosen Hambledon Mountain is found in the land. The slope and surrounding countryside happen to be covered in green lawn, showing a great deal of fertile and well irrigated soil, and the land surrounding the fort is also very level.

This meant that the Celts would be able to offer most their dietary requires near the fort; there was no requirement to transport food over huge distances, and it was not really essential to control for meals with other tribes, so a blockage of food supply beginnings was improbable to be quickly devastating for the population from the fort. An additional is that the garden soil was not too difficult to get. As these image shows, the Celts constructed ramparts around the peak of the fortification, to aid the defence.

In case the hill was made of an additional material, it will probably not have been possible to dig the great rampart program. In the present age, the ft is a surrounded by a small amount of forest. When the Celts settled, the hill was surrounded by wood land, and this might have been another important factor in choosing the site for any settlement. The woodland intended many things to individuals; it gave them real wood for building their homes and fuelling fires, it would have offered then anywhere to look, and right now there also may have been a religious aspect. Much archaeological facts shows that the Celts thought that a few types of trees were special or sacred in some way, especially the oak.

Many of the Celtic religious fests involved the worship of trees, as well as the word ‘druid’ is considered to have descends from the Celtic from ‘knowledge of the oak’. Although the Neolithic inhabitants of Hambledon Hill are probably one of the most well known, the hill have been a home to many lenders for ages before. Archaeological evidence demonstrates that people decided to live on the hill through the Palaeolithic and Neolithic eras, probably because of many of same factors that drew inside the Iron Age people. The fortifications featured in crimson on the plan show the North section of the fort, that has been inhabited by the Neolithic persons.

The earlier inhabitancy of the hillside may have been an influence on the decision to settle there for most reasons. The first of these is that the Neolithics had already had a negotiation on the slope, so the fundamental infrastructure recently existed – pathways, houses and ramparts were bushed existence, and so less operate was required on Hambledon than if the new web page had been selected. There might have been another element in the decision to be in; the people may well have desired to live wherever their ancestors did, probably to live near to the remains of their ancestors and probably to talk about the same holy site.

Enabling previously religious sites to fall into disuse and downfall would probably have been regarded as a kind of sacrilege, hence the Iron Era Celts may have thought that living close to the sites will please their particular ancestors. An extra reason which the Celts could have chosen to select Hambledon Hillside is it’s close proximity to additional forts, such as Hod Hill, and the additional settlements shown on the map above. This may be important for protective and economical reasons. Persons could be moved from one fort to aid the defence of some other, and if 1 fort was captured, survivors could avoid to the undefeated one. Economically, having so many forts next to each other meant that trading together could happen quickly.

Being close to other capes also helped to prevent inbreeding with the habitants of a one fort, leading to an overall much healthier and more tolerant population. Another advantage with the location is the proximity to the coast. Although the Slope could not always be described as ‘coastal’ it is within travelling length of the coast, so goods could be brought in from overseas. To conclude, just like any decision to settle, the choice of Hambledon Hillside was impacted by many things.

The strong protecting position was essential, and the presence of woodland, normal water and level, fertile property was likewise vital. The previous inhabitancy of the site would have been a sign that it was a great advantageous place to reside in, as well as the proximity to other forts was also very important. Sources School offered source http://www.Roman-Britain.org The Celts by Robin the boy wonder Place People of the previous series: Macdonald Invaded Islands by RJ Unstead