Winklebury Hillfort: A Study of Artefact Distributions from Subsoil Features

Abstract

This study attempts to define patterns in the artefact distributions from subsoil features at Winklebury Camp, an early Iron Age hillfort in lowland Britain. Two aims are identified: the first is to elucidate the nature and organization of past human activities within early Iron Age hillforts; the second is to determine whether meaningful patterns can be identified within the artefact distributions preserved in subsoil features. A variety of hypotheses drawn from the literature are presented and these are compared with the results of a number of statistical techniques. It is possible to distinguish patterns within the artefact distributions from Winklebury and some interesting results are produced. Specifically, it can be suggested that Winklebury was not participating in specialized craft production, that round-houses had a variety of functions, and that four-posters did not have a domestic function.