Assessing Iron Age Marsh-Forts: With Reference to the Stratigraphy and Palaeoenvironment Surrounding The Berth, North Shropshire

Iron Age marsh-forts are large, monumental structures located in low-lying waterscapes. They share chronological and architectural similarities with their hillfort counterparts, but their locations suggest they may have played a specific and alternative role in Iron Age society. Assessing Iron Age Marsh-Forts considers marsh-forts as a separate phenomenon within Iron Age society through an understanding of their landscape context and palaeoenvironmental development. A multi-disciplinary case-study of the Berth marsh-fort in North Shropshire challenges the view that marsh-forts are simply a topographical phenomenon and suggests they may have played an important role in the ritual landscape.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 224 pages
Publication date: 07 October 2021
Publisher: Archaeopress

Iron Age marsh-forts are colossal structures situated in low-lying water landscapes, exhibiting similarities in both chronology and architectural design to their hillfort counterparts. However, their locations suggest a distinct and alternative role within Iron Age society. Despite the availability of a rich palaeoenvironmental archive at numerous sites, there is limited knowledge about these enigmatic structures, with the sole acknowledged candidate being the peculiar dual-enclosure monument at Sutton Common, near Doncaster.

In order to assess Iron Age marsh-forts, it is crucial to consider their landscape context and the palaeoenvironmental development that shaped them. At the national level, a comprehensive comparison of Iron Age wetland monuments has been conducted, aiming to generate a gazetteer of potential marsh-forts. This gazetteer has identified a diverse range of wetland sites across the country that share similar characteristics with Sutton Common.

At the local level, a multi-disciplinary case-study is presented of the Berth marsh-fort in North Shropshire. This study employs GIS-based landscape modeling and multi-proxy palaeoenvironmental analysis (plant macrofossils, beetles, and pollen) to unravel the secrets of this remarkable monument. The results of both the gazetteer and the Berth case-study challenge the prevailing notion that marsh-forts are merely a topographical phenomenon. These substantial Iron Age structures appear to have been deliberately constructed to control areas of marginal wetland, suggesting a significant role in the ritual landscape of the time.

Weight: 821g
Dimension: 290 x 205 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781789698633