Cadbury Castle, Somerset: The Late Prehistoric and Early Historic Archaeology

Description

With contributions by L. Alcock, P. J. Ashmore, D. Bailey, P. S. Bellamy, G. Bellavia, L. Bevan, M. C. Bishop, M. J. Bishop, W. Britnell, P. J. Casey, S. Cottam, B. Dickinson, J. M. Downes, C. J. Dunn, I. Ferris, S. Forbes, J. Foster, S. Hamilton-Dyer, J. Henderson, H. James, J. D. Hill, P. G. Johnson, K. Greene, C. Haselgrove, P. Leach, O. Lelong, P. Macdonald, M. Mays, C. R. Musson, P. Northover, B. O'Connor, A. Olivier, M. Maltby, C. Poole, J. Price, H. C. Pruden, V. Rigby, H. Riley, F. E. S. Roe, A. Rouse, C. Salter, C. Saunders, H. S. Torrens, L. Turner, D. Williams. Illustrations by K. Speller and S. Stevenson with S. Allan, Y. Beadnell, D. A. Cunliffe, P. Lee and J. Sievewright. Ebook (PDF) published 2013. Some time late in the first century AD, Roman military action took place in the hillfort of Cadbury Castle, Somerset. The evidence for destruction in the south-western gateway includes deposits of fragmentary and partly-burnt human remains, weaponry, and dress fittings. After this destruction, barracks were built on the hilltop. These events effectively brought to an end the history of an indigenous community that, for nearly a millennium before, had settled within and constructed one of the most impressive hillforts in southern Britain. This is a report of the archaeology of that community from its origins in the late Bronze Age to its eclipse in the Roman Iron Age. The archaeological deposits are extensive. The ramparts and south-western gate structure represents one of the deepest and most complex Iron Age stratigraphic sequences excavated in southern Britain, and the survival of preserved surface deposits within the interior yielded a remarkable range of metalworking debris and animal burials. Consequently this report contains a wealth of detail concerning the material culture of what had been a rich and powerful Iron Age community, and its significantly extends our understanding of the nature of hillfort occupation in southern Britain. Figures xi Tables xiii Summaries xiv 1. Defining the problem 1 2. The analytical framework 20 3. Enclosing the hill 46 4. Defending the hill 84 5. Occupying the hill 153 6. Clothing and decorating the body 179 7. Feeding the body 203 8. The body as agent 229 9. The resources of production 258 10. The residues of production 278 11. The residues of deposition 302 12. Writing the Iron Age 317 13. Pathway to the archive 325 Bibliography 373 Index 383