Hidden Possibilities Possible Uses of Hillforts in Southern Gwynedd, North-West Wales
Hidden possibilities Possible uses of hillforts in southern Gwynedd, north-west Wales Master thesis Karolina Saxerbo Sjöberg Uppsala University 2014 Department of archaeology and ancient history Mentors: Frands Herschend & Anders Kaliff Second mentor: Toby Driver Abstract Hidden possibilities – Possible uses of hillforts in southern Gwynedd, north-west Wales, Dolda möjligheter – Möjliga användningar av fornborgar i södra Gwynedd, nordvästra Wales. Only one of the hillforts of southern Gwynedd has been submitted to a small excavation, and the forts in this study are quite forgotten in the larger British hillfort research. This thesis explores the forts’ possible uses through an analysis of their landscape setting, accessibility and view, architecture, internal features and archaeological setting. The result of the analysis show a variety of uses , for example related to occupation, trade, exchange or communication, agriculture and pastoralism, defence, religion and ritual. In addition, some larger patterns, connections and pairings of forts also come to light. Hopefully this study will lead to a heightened interest in, and future studies and excavations of the forts of southern Gwynedd. Keywords: Hillfort, GIS, hillfort uses, north-western Wales, possibilities, landscape context, isolation, accessibility, architecture, archaeological context. 2 Preface My interest for hillforts in this area and their uses is the result of a lifelong curiosity of the Iron Age people of Wales and their religion. That was the subject of my bachelor thesis, and I wanted to continue along the same lines here. For this reason, I directed my focus to hillforts –which in some cases are known for to having had religious or ritual uses. After choosing the area of southern Gwynedd, mostly because its archaeology is quite forgotten, it became clear that it was necessary to begin with a study of all the possible uses of the forts.
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