Is there enough evidence to prove why Celts settled down in Hambledon hill? Essay

Today, Hambledon Hill is one of Dorset’s most impressive and distinctive landmarks. Now, it is home to a few grazing cows, but in the past it has been the home of many people. Some of the most well-known inhabitants of the hill in the past were the Celts of Dorset’s Durotrige tribe, during the Iron Age. There are many reasons why these people choose to settle on Hambledon, and this essay aims to examine why Hambledon was chosen. Before deciding why the Celts chose Hambledon as the location for a settlement, we need to look at who they are, and therefore what they would need from a settlement. As the Celts did 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 invaders, the Romans, and the second is archaeological evidence. The people that this essay is studying lived on the hill from circa 750BC to the Roman occupation of 43AD. They were the first farmers, growing their own crops, and rearing their own animals, so therefore flat and fertile land would be an essential requirement of a fort. Archaeological artefacts such as ploughs and other farming machinery found across Europe show that the Celts were farmers, and gives a helpful insight into the crops grown, and methods of farming. The Celts kept many animals such as cattle and sheep for produce such as wool, leather, milk and meat, and horses were certainly kept for transport and working in agriculture. The Celts also grew forms of barley, wheat and rye. Another essential aspect of the fort would be defence. An invading Roman Soldier described the Celts in Dorset as ‘a sturdy people, fierce and warlike’. If they were ‘warlike’ they were likely to start wars and a fort that was easy to defend would be an distinct advantage over the enemies. Archaeological evidence shows that the Celts had basic forms of money, which they used to trade with other tribes, so being geographically close other tribes was an advantage for a settlement. So, having examined what the Celts would require from a settlement, the task is to investigate the properties of Hambledon Hill and it’s ability to provide the required site for a settlement. Initially, the most obvious aspect of Hambledon Hill is evident in its name; ‘Hill’. This would have been an important reason why the Celts chose to inhabit the vicinity, due to the obvious defensive advantages of high ground. Defence was definitely an important advantage, as during the Neolithic period, the Roman Armies were rampaging across Europe and Northern Africa, so the Celts needed to be able to defend themselves. In addition to this threat, the Durotriges may have required defence from other parts of the Celtic society, such as the Belgae from the east, and Dumnonii from the west. The Celts significantly added to the defences, building huge ramparts and ditches Another important aspect in discovering why the Durotriges settled on Hambledon Hill is found in the ground. The hill and surrounding countryside are covered in green grass, showing an abundance of fertile and well irrigated soil, and the land around the fort is also very flat. This meant that the Celts would be able to provide for most their dietary needs near the fort; there was no need to transport food over large distances, and it was not essential to trade for food with other tribes, so a blockage of food supply roots was unlikely to be instantly devastating to the population of the fort. Another advantage is that the soil was relatively easy to dig. As the above image shows, the Celts constructed ramparts around the summit of the fort, to aid the defence. If the hill was made of another material, it would probably not have been possible to dig the comprehensive rampart system. In the present age, the fort is a surrounded by a small amount of woodland. When the Celts settled, the hill was surrounded by woodland, and this would have been another important factor in choosing the site for a settlement. The woodland meant many things to the people; it gave them wood for building their homes and fuelling fires, it would have given then somewhere to hunt, and there also may have been a spiritual aspect. Much archaeological evidence shows that the Celts believed that some types of trees were special or sacred in some way, especially the oak. Many of the Celtic religious festivals involved the worship of trees, and the word ‘druid’ is believed to have originated from the Celtic from ‘knowledge of the oak’. Although the Neolithic inhabitants of Hambledon Hill are probably the most well known, the hill had been a home to many peoples for generations before. Archaeological evidence shows that people chose to live on the hill during the Palaeolithic and Neolithic eras, probably due to many of same factors that drew in the Iron Age people. The fortifications highlighted in red on the diagram show the Northern section of the fort, which was inhabited by the Neolithic people. The earlier inhabitancy of the hill may have been an influence on the decision to settle there for many reasons. The first of these is that the Neolithics had already had a settlement on the hill, so the basic infrastructure previously existed – pathways, houses and ramparts were all in existence, so less work was required on Hambledon than if a new site had been chosen. There may have been another element in the decision to settle; the people may have wanted to live where their ancestors did, possibly to live near the remains of their ancestors and probably to share the same holy site. Allowing previously religious sites to fall into disuse and disrepair would probably have been regarded as a form of sacrilege, so the Iron Age Celts may have thought that living near the sites would please their ancestors. A further reason that the Celts would have chosen to settle on Hambledon Hill is it’s close proximity to other forts, such as Hod Hill, and the other settlements shown on the map above. This would be important for defensive and economic reasons. People could be moved from one fort to aid the defence of the other, and if one fort was captured, survivors could escape to the undefeated one. Economically, having so many forts in close proximity to each other meant that trading between them could happen easily. Being close to other forts also helped to prevent inbreeding with the inhabitants of a single fort, resulting in an overall healthier and more resistant population. Another advantage with the geographical location is the proximity to the coast. Although the Hill could not be described as ‘coastal’ it is within travelling distance of the coast, so goods could be brought in from overseas. To conclude, as with any decision to settle, the choice of Hambledon Hill was affected by many things. The strong defensive position was essential, and the presence of woodland, water and flat, fertile land was also vital. The previous inhabitancy of the site would have been an indication that it was an advantageous place to reside in, and the proximity to other forts was also very important. Sources School provided source http://www.Roman-Britain.org The Celts by Robin Place Peoples of the past series: Macdonald Invaded Islands by RJ Unstead