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Wessex Archaeology has recently carried out archaeological excavation inside one of the largest Iron Age hillforts in Britain.
The work at Ham Hill, Stoke-sub-Hamdon, near Yeovil, Somerset was carried out on behalf of, and funded by, the Ham Hill Stone Company in advance of quarrying.
The area excavated formed a small part of the hillfort, but revealed plenty of evidence of the Iron Age occupation between 400 BC and the arrival of the Romans in Britain in AD 43.
Several circular pits have been excavated by the archaeologists and found to contain objects of daily life and work. Large fragments of pottery storage vessels have been found, marked with distinct and decorative patterns, along with fragments of quernstones, used for grinding grain, and many small rounded pebbles, possibly slingshot used in hunting or in battle. The pits and the finds from them are characteristic features in Iron Age hillforts and may be compared to discoveries of a similar Iron Age date found at Cadbury Castle, which lies a few miles away to the north-east. The finds from the site will be given to Somerset Museums Service.
