The Origins of Hilltop Enclosures

The Late Bronze Age in Britain (c. 1250-750 BC) was a period of major economic and social reorganisation: agricultural and settlement patterns, funerary and depositional practices all saw significant change. This book examines the evidence for the occupation and enclosure of hilltops in Atlantic western Britain during this formative period. Focussing on why communities started to come together at this time to construct these impressive monuments, this book provides information about how these communities were organising the landscape during a time when the first effects of climatic deterioration were beginning to be felt. Concentrating on Atlantic western Britain (encompassing Wales, the Marches, and south-west England), it is shown that, far from being a peripheral region, communities here were looking west to Ireland, developing hilltop sites right across the landscape, providing a safe and central location for communal gatherings and pastoral farming activities.