N. Thomas

Conderton Camp, Worcestershire: a Small Middle Iron Age Hillfort on Bredon Hill (Cba Research Reports) N. Thomas

Oxbow says: Three hillforts have been located on Bredon Hill in Worcestershire, one of which is Conderton Camp, a small settlement constructed between the late 6th and 4th century BC and abandoned by the end of the Iron Age period. Once a classic small hillfort, possibly serving as a central, communal meeting place and market, the site became a fortified, permanent settlement in the Middle Iron Age. This report publishes the findings of an earthwork survey and study of the environs of the site, geophysical investigations and excavations carried out in 1958 and 1959, along with specialist discussions of the finds. What is great about this volume and many like it, is that the data and factual information is interspersed with summary discussions of the evidence, such as the significance of the metalworking debris, what the faunal remains can tell us about animal husbandry and diet, and the significance of the many storage pits at the site. Aside from the Appendices, the report concludes with an excellent summary discussion of Conderton Camp and its people. Nicholas Thomas examines how the Camp related to other contemporary sites and to the local landscape, what natural resources were available and exploited, the choices and considerations of those that built the Camp and its interior houses, how people lived and fed themselves, what craft activities were taking place, and speculates on Conderton's purpose, perhaps as a 'central place' and how it was linked with other communities of the Severn Valley. Summaries in French and German.