Excavations at Ham Hill, Somerset, 2011 - 2013. A Post Excavation Assessment

Abstract

This document presents the collated results of a three-year programme of excavation and postexcavation assessment at Ham Hill, Stoke-sub-Hamdon, Somerset by the Cambridge Archaeological Unit of the University of Cambridge and the Department of Archaeology at Cardiff University. Ham Hill is located approximately 6km west of Yeovil, on the northern scarp of the Jurassic limestone hills which define the character of this part of Somerset. The hilltop is a plateau of Upper shelly limestone (Ham Hill stone), which rises to a maximum height of 139 metres OD and has extensive views, particularly north across the Somerset Levels. The hill’s plateau is rung by a series of up to three rampart earthworks that enclose an area of 88.1 hectares. This comprises the largest Iron Age hillfort in Britain. Whilst the direct remit of the project was the preservation by record of sensitive archaeological remains within a proposed development footprint, the primary aim was to bring coherence to Ham Hill’s archaeological resource.