Iron Age hillforts
The Iron Age in Britain was a time when people were building certain types of monuments. Hillforts are typical of the Iron Age. Hillforts are mostly, as their name suggests, forts on hills! They are made up of one or several banks and ditches that surround and defend a central space and they are often on the edge of a hill.
Try and find out more about Iron Age hillforts
Go onto the Internet to find out more about Iron Age hillforts. Try typing the phrase into a search engine like Google. Find out the names of four Iron Age hillforts in Britain and write them here:
Write about what has been found in these hillforts on a piece of paper. Are there things that have been found at all of them? List the natural and man-made features that all or some of the hillforts have in common on the back of the same piece of paper.
Building a hillfort
Using what you know about Iron Age hillforts, where would you build your hillfort? Think about what all the hillforts you looked at have in common. Can you find any places in Buckinghamshire on a map that also have the same natural features as those you studied? Write about places to put your hillfort/s and the reasons for your choice/s here:
When you have know where you want to build your hillfort/s, draw them on the map of Buckinghamshire that your teacher gives you.
Find out where the hillforts are
Your teacher will give you part of a modern map of Buckinghamshire. Try to find all the hillforts on your map. Work out the grid reference for each of the hillforts you find. Write the hillfort names and the grid references here:
Ivinghoe Beacon
Search Buckinghamshire’s Heritage Portal to find out about Ivinghoe Beacon. This is one of the most famous and best studied hillforts in the county. Try to find the answers to these questions:
- How old is Ivinghoe Beacon?
- What archaeological work has been done there?
- What was found
- What was it used for?
Go back for more Changes in the landscape.