List of prehistoric structures in Great Britain
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There are many prehistoric sites and structures of interest remaining from
prehistoric Britain Several species of humans have intermittently occupied Great Britain for almost a million years. The earliest evidence of human occupation around 900,000 years ago is at Happisburgh on the Norfolk coast, with stone tools and footprints prob ...
, spanning the
Stone Age The Stone Age was a broad prehistoric period during which stone was widely used to make tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years, and ended between 4,000 BC and 2,000 BC, with ...
,
Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
and
Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly ...
. Among the most important are the Wiltshire sites around Stonehenge and Avebury, which are designated as a
World Heritage site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...
.


Structures and sites


Agricultural structures, mines and roads

*
Bathampton Down Bathampton Down is a flat limestone plateau in Bathampton, Somerset, England, overlooking the River Avon and the city of Bath. There is evidence of man's activity at the site since the Mesolithic period including Bathampton Camp, an Iron Age hi ...
,
Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly ...
earth enclosure with
Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
round barrow A round barrow is a type of tumulus and is one of the most common types of archaeological monuments. Although concentrated in Europe, they are found in many parts of the world, probably because of their simple construction and universal purpose. ...
s in the area. *
Bindon Hill Bindon Hill is an extensive Iron Age earthwork enclosing a coastal hill area on the Jurassic Coast near Lulworth Cove in Dorset, England, about west of Swanage, about south west of Wareham, and about south east of Dorchester. It is within ...
, Iron Age earth enclosure. * Great Orme, Bronze Age copper mines and an Iron Age
hill fort A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post-Roma ...
. * Grime's Graves,
Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several pa ...
flint mining Flint mining is the process of extracting flint from underground. Flint mines can be as simple as a pit on the surface or an area of quarrying, or it may refer to a series of shafts and tunnels used to extract flint. Flint has been mined since t ...
complex. *
The Ridgeway The ancient tree-lined path winds over the downs countryside The Ridgeway is a ridgeway or ancient trackway described as Britain's oldest road. The section clearly identified as an ancient trackway extends from Wiltshire along the chalk ...
, ancient
trackway Historic roads (historic trails in USA and Canada) are paths or routes that have historical importance due to their use over a period of time. Examples exist from prehistoric times until the early 20th century. They include ancient trackways ...
. *
Sweet Track The Sweet Track is an ancient trackway, or causeway, in the Somerset Levels, England, named after its finder, Ray Sweet. It was built in 3807 BC (determined using dendrochronology) and is the second-oldest timber trackway discovered in ...
, ancient
causeway A causeway is a track, road or railway on the upper point of an embankment across "a low, or wet place, or piece of water". It can be constructed of earth, masonry, wood, or concrete. One of the earliest known wooden causeways is the Sweet Tr ...
. *
Tarr Steps The Tarr Steps is a clapper bridge across the River Barle in the Exmoor National Park, Somerset, England. They are located in a national nature reserve about south east of Withypool and north west of Dulverton. A typical clapper bridge con ...
, late Bronze Age
clapper bridge A clapper bridge is an ancient form of bridge found on the moors of the English West Country (Bodmin Moor, Dartmoor and Exmoor) and in other upland areas of the United Kingdom including Snowdonia and Anglesey, Cumbria, Derbyshire, Yorkshire, La ...
.


Burial structures

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Arthur's Stone, Herefordshire Arthur's Stone is a Neolithic chambered tomb, or dolmen, in Herefordshire, England. It is situated on the ridge line of a hill overlooking both the Golden Valley, Herefordshire and the Wye Valley. The tomb dates from 3,700 BC – 2,700 BC. Lo ...
, Neolithic chambered tomb. * Barclodiad y Gawres, Neolithic cruciform passage grave. *
Belas Knap Belas Knap is a neolithic, chambered long barrow situated on Cleeve Hill, Gloucestershire, Cleeve Hill, near Cheltenham and Winchcombe, in Gloucestershire, England. It is a scheduled ancient monument in the care of English Heritage but managed b ...
, Neolithic
long barrow Long barrows are a style of monument constructed across Western Europe in the fifth and fourth millennia BCE, during the Early Neolithic period. Typically constructed from earth and either timber or stone, those using the latter material repre ...
. * Bryn Celli Ddu, Bronze Age
passage grave A passage grave or passage tomb consists of one or more burial chambers covered in earth or with stone, and having a narrow access passage made of large stones. These structures usually date from the Neolithic Age, and are found largely in Wester ...
on the site of a Neolithic
stone circle A stone circle is a ring of standing stones. Most are found in Northwestern Europe – especially in Britain, Ireland, and Brittany – and typically date from the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age, with most being built from 3000 BC. The ...
and
henge There are three related types of Neolithic earthwork that are all sometimes loosely called henges. The essential characteristic of all three is that they feature a ring-shaped bank and ditch, with the ditch inside the bank. Because the internal ...
. *
Clava cairn The Clava cairn is a type of Bronze Age circular chamber tomb cairn, named after the group of three cairns at Balnuaran of Clava, to the east of Inverness in Scotland. There are about 50 cairns of this type in an area round about Inverness. They ...
, Bronze Age circular
chamber tomb A chamber tomb is a tomb for burial used in many different cultures. In the case of individual burials, the chamber is thought to signify a higher status for the interred than a simple grave. Built from rock or sometimes wood, the chambers could ...
cairn A cairn is a man-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker or as a burial mound. The word ''cairn'' comes from the gd, càrn (plural ). Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes. In prehi ...
. * Devil's Lapful, Neolithic long cairn in Northumberland. *
Duggleby Howe Duggleby Howe (also known as Howe Hill, Duggleby) is one of the largest round barrows in Britain, located on the southern side of the Great Wold Valley in the district of Ryedale, and is one of four such monuments in this area, known collectively ...
, round barrow. * Dartmoor kistvaens, burial tombs or
cists A cist ( or ; also kist ; from grc-gre, κίστη, Middle Welsh ''Kist'' or Germanic ''Kiste'') is a small stone-built coffin-like box or ossuary used to hold the bodies of the dead. Examples can be found across Europe and in the Middle Eas ...
found in
Dartmoor Dartmoor is an upland area in southern Devon, England. The moorland and surrounding land has been protected by National Park status since 1951. Dartmoor National Park covers . The granite which forms the uplands dates from the Carboniferous P ...
in Devon. * Fairy Toot, oval barrow. *
Five Marys The Five Marys is a group of Bronze Age round barrows near the village of Chaldon Herring, in Dorset, England. The site is a scheduled monument. Description The barrows, on a west–east ridge overlooking Chaldon Herring to the south, are in an ...
, group of round barrows in Dorset. *
Julliberrie's Grave Julliberrie's Grave, also known as The Giant's Grave or The Grave, is an unchambered long barrow located near to the village of Chilham in the south-eastern English county of Kent. Probably constructed in the fourth millennium BCE, during Br ...
, unchambered earthen Neolithic
long barrow Long barrows are a style of monument constructed across Western Europe in the fifth and fourth millennia BCE, during the Early Neolithic period. Typically constructed from earth and either timber or stone, those using the latter material repre ...
. * King's Quoit, Neolithic burial chamber in Pembrokeshire. *
Lanyon Quoit Lanyon Quoit is a dolmen in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, 2 miles southeast of Morvah. It collapsed in a storm in 1815 and was re-erected nine years later, and as a result the dolmen is now very different from its original appearance. Loca ...
,
dolmen A dolmen () or portal tomb is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of two or more upright megaliths supporting a large flat horizontal capstone or "table". Most date from the early Neolithic (40003000 BCE) and were some ...
. *
Maeshowe Maeshowe (or Maes Howe; non, Orkhaugr) is a Neolithic chambered cairn and passage grave situated on Mainland Orkney, Scotland. It was probably built around . In the archaeology of Scotland, it gives its name to the Maeshowe type of chambered ...
, Neolithic
chambered cairn A chambered cairn is a burial monument, usually constructed during the Neolithic, consisting of a sizeable (usually stone) chamber around and over which a cairn of stones was constructed. Some chambered cairns are also passage-graves. They are fo ...
and passage grave. *
Oakley Down Barrow Cemetery Oakley Down Barrow Cemetery is a group of Bronze Age round barrows on Cranborne Chase, about east of the village of Sixpenny Handley in Dorset, England. It is a scheduled monument. Description There are many prehistoric remains on Cranborne Cha ...
, group of round barrows in Dorset. *
Pentre Ifan Pentre Ifan (literally "Evan's Village") is the name of an ancient manor in the community and parish of Nevern, Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is from Cardigan, Ceredigion, and east of Newport, Pembrokeshire. Pentre Ifan contains and gives i ...
, Neolithic dolmen. * The Poind and his Man, burial mound and standing stone in Northumberland. *
Poor Lot Barrow Cemetery Poor Lot Barrow Cemetery is an archaeological site, a group of Bronze Age round barrows, near the A35 road about west of Winterbourne Abbas, in Dorset, England. It is an English Heritage site. Description Although the barrows are situated not ...
, group of round barrows in Dorset. *
Seven Barrows Seven Barrows is a Bronze Age bowl barrow cemetery, of which are designated a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest, at Upper Lambourn in the civil parish of Lambourn in the English county of Berkshire. It is managed by the Berkshire, Bu ...
, site of
bowl barrow A bowl barrow is a type of burial mound or tumulus. A barrow is a mound of earth used to cover a tomb. The bowl barrow gets its name from its resemblance to an upturned bowl. Related terms include ''cairn circle'', ''cairn ring'', ''howe'', ''ker ...
s,
bell barrow A bell is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be made by an intern ...
s, saucer barrows and
disc barrow A disc barrow is a type of tumulus or round barrow, a variety of fancy barrow identified in English Heritage's Monument Class Descriptions. A disc barrow comprises a circular or oval-shaped flat platform, defined by a continuous earthen bank and ...
s. *
Spinsters' Rock Spinsters' Rock () is a Neolithic dolmen near Drewsteignton in Devon. It is situated on Shilstone Farm west of the village. It is near the A382 road The A382 is a road in South West England, connecting Newton Abbot to the A38, then to Bov ...
, Neolithic dolmen. *
St Lythans St Lythans ( cy, Llwyneliddon) is an affluent hamlet and former parish in the Vale of Glamorgan, southeast Wales, just outside western Cardiff. It lies southwest of Culverhouse Cross, west of Wenvoe and southwest of Twyn-yr-Odyn and is also conn ...
, Neolithic dolmen. * Stoney Littleton Long Barrow, Neolithic chambered tomb. * Thickthorn Down Long Barrows, Neolithic long barrows in Dorset. * Three Brothers of Grugith, Neolithic dolmen in Cornwall. *
Tinkinswood Tinkinswood or its full name Tinkinswood Burial Chamber ( cy, Siambr Gladdu Tinkinswood), also known as Castell Carreg, Llech-y-Filiast and Maes-y-Filiast, is a megalithic burial chamber, built around 6,000 years ago, during the Neolithic period, ...
, Neolithic dolmen. *
Trethevy Quoit Trethevy Quoit ( kw, Koyt Tredhewi) is a well-preserved megalithic structure between St Cleer and Darite in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is known locally as "the giant's house". Standing high, it consists of five standing stones capped by a l ...
, Neolithic burial chamber. *
Wayland's Smithy Wayland's Smithy is an Early Neolithic chambered long barrow located near the village of Ashbury in the south-central English county of Oxfordshire. The barrow is believed to have been constructed about 3600 BC by pastoral communities shortly ...
, Neolithic long barrow and chamber tomb. *
West Kennet Long Barrow The West Kennet Long Barrow, also known as South Long Barrow, is a chambered long barrow near the village of Avebury in the south-western English county of Wiltshire. Probably constructed in the thirty-seventh century BC, during Britain's Earl ...
, Neolithic chambered long barrow. *
Wor Barrow Wor Barrow is a Neolithic long barrow on Cranborne Chase, about east of Sixpenny Handley in Dorset, England. It is a scheduled monument. Its excavation by Augustus Pitt Rivers in 1893–1894 has been described as "an important event in the stud ...
, Neolithic long barrow in Dorset.


Causewayed enclosures

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Barkhale Camp Barkhale Camp is a Neolithic causewayed enclosure, an archaeological site on Bignor Hill, on the South Downs in West Sussex, England. Causewayed enclosures were built in England from shortly before 3700 BC until at least 3500 BC; they are ...
, West Sussex * Coombe Hill *
Flagstones Enclosure Flagstones is a late Neolithic interrupted ditch enclosure (similar to a causewayed enclosure) on the outskirts of Dorchester, Dorset, England. It derives its name from having been discovered beneath the site of the demolished Flagstones House.
, Dorset *
Hembury Hembury is a Neolithic causewayed enclosure and Iron Age hill fort near Honiton in Devon. Its history stretches from the late fifth and early fourth millennia BC to the Roman invasion. The fort is situated on a south facing promontory at the en ...
* Robin Hood's Ball *
Stonehenge Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, west of Amesbury. It consists of an outer ring of vertical sarsen standing stones, each around high, wide, and weighing around 25 tons, topped by connec ...
* Windmill Hill * Whitesheet Hill, Wiltshire


Fortifications


Hill forts

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Badbury Rings Badbury Rings is an Iron Age hill fort and Scheduled Monument in east Dorset, England. It was in the territory of the Durotriges. In the Roman era a temple was located immediately west of the fort, and there was a Romano-British town known as ''Vi ...
, Iron Age
hill fort A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post-Roma ...
. *
Barbury Castle Barbury Castle is a scheduled hillfort in Wiltshire, England. It is one of several such forts found along the ancient Ridgeway route. The site, which lies within the Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, has been managed as a count ...
, Iron Age hill fort. *
Bat's Castle Bats Castle is an Iron Age hillfort at the top of a high hill in the parish of Carhampton south south west of Dunster in Somerset, England. The site was identified in 1983 after some schoolboys found eight silver-plated coins dating from 102BC ...
, Iron Age hill fort. *
Beacon Hill Beacon Hill may refer to: Places Canada * Beacon Hill, Ottawa, Ontario, a neighbourhood * Beacon Hill Park, a park in Victoria, British Columbia * Beacon Hill, Saskatchewan * Beacon Hill, Montreal, a neighbourhood in Beaconsfield, Quebec United ...
, late Bronze Age hill fort. * Berry Castle, Iron Age hill fort *
Black Ball Camp Black Ball Camp is an Iron Age hillfort South West of Dunster, Somerset, England on the northern summit of Gallox Hill. It is a Scheduled Monument. It is also known as British Camp and is possibly associated with Bat's Castle. It has a high ...
, Iron Age hill fort *
Blackbury Camp Blackbury Camp, also known as Blackbury Castle, is an Iron Age hill fort in Devon, England. It is managed by English Heritage. Location Blackbury Camp is situated to the south west of Southleigh, Devon. It is to the west of Colyton and ...
, Iron Age hill fort. * Blacker's Hill, Iron Age hill fort. *
Brean Down Brean Down is a promontory off the coast of Somerset, England, standing high and extending into the Bristol Channel at the eastern end of Bridgwater Bay between Weston-super-Mare and Burnham-on-Sea. Made of Carboniferous Limestone, it is a ...
, Iron Age hill fort. *
Brent Knoll Brent Knoll is a hill on the Somerset Levels, in Somerset, England. It is located roughly halfway between Weston-super-Mare and Bridgwater, from the Bristol Channel coast at Burnham-on-Sea. At the foot of the hill are two villages East Brent a ...
, Iron Age hill fort. *
Burledge Hill Burledge Hill () is on the southern edge of the village of Bishop Sutton, Somerset, England. It is the site of a Site of Special Scientific Interest and an univallate Iron Age hillfort. Site of Special Scientific Interest The site comprises a ...
, Iron Age hill fort. * Bury Castle, Iron Age hill fort. * Cadbury Camp, Iron Age hill fort. * Cadbury Castle, Iron Age hill fort. *
Cadbury Hill Cadbury Hill is a small hill, mostly in the civil parish of Congresbury, overlooking the village of Yatton in North Somerset. On its summit stands an Iron Age hill fort, which is a Scheduled Ancient Monument. Background Hill forts develop ...
, Iron Age hill fort. *
Cannington Camp Cannington Camp is a Bronze Age and Iron Age hill fort near Cannington, Somerset, England. It is a Scheduled Ancient Monument. The small hill rises to above low-lying land about west of the tidal estuary of the River Parrett, near the ancien ...
, Bronze and Iron Age hill fort *
Castell Dinas Brân Castell Dinas Brân is a medieval castle, built by the Princes of Powys Fadog, who occupy a prominent hilltop site above the town of Llangollen in Denbighshire, Wales. The presently visible stone castle was probably built in the 1260s by Gruffy ...
, Iron Age hill fort. *
Castell Henllys Castell Henllys (Welsh, "castle of the old court") is an important archaeological site in north Pembrokeshire, Wales, on the A487 road between Newport and Cardigan, in the parish of Nevern. The Iron Age hillfort has been the subject of an ...
, Iron Age hill fort. *
Castle an Dinas Castle an Dinas is an Iron Age hillfort at the summit of Castle Downs near St Columb Major in Cornwall, UK () and is considered one of the most important hillforts in the southwest of Britain. It dates from around the 3rd to 2nd century BCE ...
, Iron Age hill fort. * Castle Hill, Iron Age hill fort. *
Castle Old Fort Castle Old Fort is a small Iron Age hill fort in Stonnall, in the Metropolitan borough of Walsall, West Midlands, England. Its interior is now occupied by a house. The structure is a promontory fort in that it is situated on the southern side of ...
, Stonnall, Iron Age hill fort. * Clatworthy Camp, Iron Age hill fort. *
Coney's Castle Coney's Castle is an Iron Age hillfort in Dorset, England. The name ''Coney'' is from the Old English for ''rabbit'' (Latin '' cuniculus''), suggesting medieval use as a domestic warren, as at nearby Pilsdon Pen. The fort is on a narrow nort ...
, Iron Age hill fort. * Cow Castle, Iron Age hill fort. *
Danebury Danebury is an Iron Age hill fort in Hampshire, England, about north-west of Winchester (). Retrieved on 23 July 2008. The site, covering , was excavated by Barry Cunliffe in the 1970s. Danebury is considered a type-site for hill forts, a ...
, Iron Age hill fort. *
Daw's Castle Daw's Castle (or ''Dart's Castle'' or ''Dane's Castle'') is a sea cliff hillfort just west of Watchet, a harbour town in Somerset, England. It is a Scheduled Monument. The name comes from Thomas Dawe, who owned ''castell'' field in 1537. The ...
, Iron Age hill fort. * Devil's Dyke, Iron Age defensive ditch. *
Dinas Dinlle Dinas Dinlle is a small settlement in Gwynedd, north-west Wales which is also, historically, part of Caernarfonshire. Description Dinas Dinlle has a large sand and pebble beach with vast areas of sand from mid-tide level. The foreshore consist ...
, Iron Age hill fort. * Dolebury Warren, Iron Age hill fort. *
Dowsborough Dowsborough Camp (or ''Danesborough'' or ''Dawesbury'') is an Iron Age hill fort on the Quantock Hills near Nether Stowey in Somerset, England. It has been designated as a Scheduled Monument. The fort and associated round barrow has been added ...
, Iron Age hill fort. *
Dumbarton Castle Dumbarton Castle ( gd, Dùn Breatainn, ; ) has the longest recorded history of any stronghold in Scotland. It sits on a volcanic plug of basalt known as Dumbarton Rock which is high and overlooks the Scottish town of Dumbarton. History Dum ...
, Iron Age stronghold. *
Dunadd Dunadd (Scottish Gaelic ''Dún Ad'', "fort on the iverAdd") is a hillfort in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, dating from the Iron Age and early medieval period and is believed to be the capital of the ancient kingdom of Dál Riata. Dal Riata was a ki ...
, Iron Age hill fort. * Dundon Hill (or Dundon Camp),
Compton Dundon Compton Dundon is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, lying beside King's Sedgemoor and the Polden Hills, south of Glastonbury and north of Somerton in the South Somerset district. The village has a population of 705. The pari ...
, Iron Age hill fort. *
Durnovaria Durnovaria is a suggested spelling for the Latin form of the name of the Roman town of Dorchester in the modern English county of Dorset, amended from the actually observed Durnonovaria. Upon the assumption that the name was originally Brythonic ...
, Iron Age hill fort. * Eildon Hill, Late Bronze Age hill fort. * Eggardon Hill, Iron Age hill fort. * Ham Hill, Bronze and Iron Age hill fort *
Hambledon Hill Hambledon Hill is a prehistoric hill fort in Dorset, England, situated in the Blackmore Vale five miles northwest of Blandford Forum. The hill itself is a chalk outcrop, on the southwestern corner of Cranborne Chase, separated from the Dorset ...
, Iron Age hill fort and Neolithic
causewayed enclosure A causewayed enclosure is a type of large prehistoric earthwork common to the early Neolithic in Europe. It is an enclosure marked out by ditches and banks, with a number of causeways crossing the ditches. More than 100 examples are recorded i ...
s. * Hod Hill, Iron Age hill fort. *
Kenwalch's Castle Kenwalch's Castle is probably an Iron Age hill fort that may have been converted into a Roman fortress, near Penselwood, Somerset, England, east south east of Bruton at . It is a Scheduled Ancient Monument. It is believed to be named after Cen ...
, Iron Age hill fort. * Kingsdown Camp, Iron Age hill fort. *
Lambert's Castle Lambert's Castle is an Iron Age hillfort in the county of Dorset in southwest England.
, Iron Age hill fort. *
Maes Knoll Maes Knoll (sometimes Maes tump or Maes Knoll tump) is an Iron Age hill fort in Somerset, England, located at the eastern end of the Dundry Down ridge, south of the city of Bristol and north of the village of Norton Malreward near the easter ...
, Iron Age hill fort. * Maesbury Castle, Iron Age hill fort. * Maiden Castle, Iron Age hill fort. * Norton Camp, Bronze Age hill fort *
Old Sarum Old Sarum, in Wiltshire, South West England, is the now ruined and deserted site of the earliest settlement of Salisbury. Situated on a hill about north of modern Salisbury near the A345 road, the settlement appears in some of the earliest r ...
, Iron Age hill fort and Neolithic settlement. *
Old Winchester Hill {{Infobox SSSI , image= OldWinchesterHill.JPG , image_caption = , name= Old Winchester Hill , aos= Hampshire , interest=Biological , gridref={{gbmappingsmall, SU 642 208 , area= {{convert, 66.2, ha, acre, abbr=off , notifyda ...
, Iron Age hill fort and Bronze Age barrows. *
Oram's Arbour Oram's Arbour was an enclosed settlement (oppidum) during the Iron Age, in what is now Winchester, England. Limited dating evidence suggests the enclosure was dug in the early-mid first century BC.Biddle, M. 1975. 'Excavations at Winchester, 197 ...
, Iron Age hill fort. *
Pen Dinas Pen Dinas is the name of a large hill within the boundary of the village of Penparcau, on the coast of Ceredigion, Wales, (just south of Aberystwyth) upon which an extensive Iron Age, Celtic hillfort of international significance is situated. ...
, Iron Age hill fort. *
Pilsdon Pen Pilsdon Pen is a 277-metre (909 ft) hill in Dorset in South West England, situated at the north end of the Marshwood Vale, approximately west of Beaminster. It is Dorset's second highest point and has panoramic views extending for many m ...
, Iron Age hill fort. *
Plainsfield Camp Plainsfield Camp (or ''Park Plantation'' or Cockercombe Castle) is a possible Iron Age earthwork on the Quantock Hills near Aisholt in Somerset, England. The so-called hill fort has several features that make it more likely to be an animal encl ...
, Iron Age hill fort. *
Poundbury Hill Poundbury Hill () is the site of a scheduled Prehistoric and Roman archaeological remains and includes evidence of a Neolithic settlement, a substantial Bronze Age occupation site and an Iron Age hillfort. There are also late Iron Age burials an ...
, Iron Age hill fort and Middle Bronze Age settlement. * Ruborough Camp, Iron Age hill fort. * Segsbury Camp, Iron Age hill fort. *
Sharpenhoe Clappers Smithcombe, Sharpenhoe and Sundon Hills is an Site of Special Scientific Interest in Sharpenhoe in Bedfordshire. Most of it is a National Trust property comprising Sundon Hills, Moleskin and Markham Hills, Sharpenhoe Clappers and Smithcombe Hills. ...
, Iron Age hill fort. * Small Down Knoll, Bronze Age hill fort * Solsbury Hill, Iron Age hill fort. * Stantonbury Camp, Iron Age hill fort. *
Stanwick Iron Age Fortifications Stanwick Iron Age Fortifications (also known as 'Stanwick Camp'), a huge Iron Age hill fort, sometimes but not always considered an oppidum, comprising over of ditches and ramparts enclosing approximately of land, are situated in Richmondsh ...
, Iron Age hill fort. *
Sweetworthy Sweetworthy is the site of two Iron Age hill forts or enclosures at Luccombe, Somerset, Luccombe, south of Porlock, Somerset, England. They are on the north-facing slope of Dunkery Beacon, Dunkery Hill. One has a single rampart and external ditc ...
, Iron Age hill fort. * Traprain Law, Iron Age hill fort. *
Trendle Ring Trendle Ring (or ''Trundle Ring'') is a late prehistoric earthwork on the Quantock Hills near Bicknoller in Somerset, England. It is a Scheduled Monument. In 2013 it was added to the Heritage at Risk Register due to vulnerability to plant growt ...
, Iron Age hill fort. * Tre'r Ceiri, Iron Age hill fort. *
Uffington Castle Uffington Castle is an early Iron Age (with underlying Bronze Age) univallate hillfort in Oxfordshire, England. It covers about 32,000 square metres and is surrounded by two earth banks separated by a ditch with an entrance in the western end. A ...
, Iron Age hill fort. * White Castle, Iron Age hill fort. *
Wincobank Shiregreen and Brightside ward—which includes the districts of Brightside, Shiregreen, and Wincobank—is one of the 28 electoral wards in City of Sheffield, England. It is located in the northern part of the city and covers an area ...
, Iron Age hill fort. *
Worlebury Camp Worlebury Camp (also known as Worlebury Hillfort) is the site of an Iron Age hillfort on Worlebury Hill, north of Weston-super-Mare in Somerset, England. The fort was well defended with numerous walls, embankments and ditches around the site. S ...
,
Worlebury Hill Worlebury Hill is the name given to an upland area lying between the flatlands of Weston-super-Mare and the Kewstoke area of North Somerset, England. Worlebury Hill's rises from sea level to its highest point of , and the western end of the hill ...
, Iron Age hill fort.


Other defensive structures

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Broch of Mousa Broch of Mousa (or Mousa Broch) is a preserved Iron Age broch or round tower. It is on the island of Mousa in Shetland, Scotland. It is the tallest broch still standing and amongst the best-preserved prehistoric buildings in Europe. It is thoug ...
, broch. *
Dun Carloway Dun Carloway ( gd, Dùn Chàrlabhaigh) is a broch situated in the district of Carloway, on the west coast of the Isle of Lewis, Scotland (). It is a remarkably well preserved broch – on the east side parts of the old wall still reach to 9 metre ...
,
broch A broch is an Iron Age drystone hollow-walled structure found in Scotland. Brochs belong to the classification "complex Atlantic roundhouse" devised by Scottish archaeologists in the 1980s. Their origin is a matter of some controversy. Origin ...
. *
Edin's Hall Broch Edin's Hall Broch (also Edinshall Broch; Odin's Hall Broch) is a 2nd-century broch near Duns in the Borders of Scotland. It is one of very few brochs found in southern Scotland. It is roughly 28 metres in diameter. Name In the late 18th centur ...
, broch. * Eilean Dòmhnuill,
crannog A crannog (; ga, crannóg ; gd, crannag ) is typically a partially or entirely artificial island, usually built in lakes and estuarine waters of Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. Unlike the prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps, which were bu ...
. * Wansdyke


Henges

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Arbor Low Arbor Low is a well-preserved Neolithic henge in the Derbyshire Peak District, England. It lies on a Carboniferous Limestone plateau known as the White Peak area. The monument consists of a stone circle surrounded by earthworks and a ditch ...
, late Neolithic Class II henge. *
Avebury Avebury () is a Neolithic henge monument containing three stone circles, around the village of Avebury in Wiltshire, in southwest England. One of the best known prehistoric sites in Britain, it contains the largest megalithic stone circle in ...
, Neolithic henge and stone circles. * Ballymeanoch, Neolithic henge with a small burial cairn as well as standing stones and stone circles. * The Bull Ring, Neolithic Class II henge. * Catholme ceremonial complex, Neolithic henge enclosure, timber circle and pit alignments * Castle Dykes Henge, Neolithic Class I henge. *
Drove Cottage Henge Drove Cottage Henge (sometimes called Hunter's Lodge Henge) is a scheduled monument in the Priddy parish of Somerset, England. It is located north of Drove Cottage. The site is a ceremonial Neolithic location. Since this henge is one of only aro ...
, Heavily damaged Neolithic henge *
Durrington Walls Durrington Walls is the site of a large Neolithic settlement and later henge enclosure located in the Stonehenge World Heritage Site in England. It lies north-east of Stonehenge in the parish of Durrington, just north of Amesbury in Wiltshire. ...
, Neolithic Class II henge. *
King Arthur's Round Table King Arthur's Round Table is a Neolithic henge in the village of Eamont Bridge in the English county of Cumbria, around south east of Penrith. It is 400 metres from Mayburgh Henge. The site is free to visitors and is under the control of ...
, Neolithic Class II henge. *
Maumbury Rings Maumbury Rings is a Neolithic henge in the south of Dorchester town in Dorset, England (). It is a large circular earthwork, 85 metres in diameter, with a single bank and an entrance to the north east. It was modified during the Roman period wh ...
, Neolithic henge later used as a
Roman amphitheatre Roman amphitheatres are theatres – large, circular or oval open-air venues with raised seating – built by the ancient Romans. They were used for events such as gladiator combats, '' venationes'' (animal slayings) and executions. About 230 Ro ...
. *
Mayburgh Henge Mayburgh Henge is a large prehistoric monument in the county of Cumbria in northern England. The henge is in the care of English Heritage and is a Scheduled Ancient Monument. It is 400 metres from King Arthur's Round Table Henge. Location T ...
, Neolithic henge with standing stones. *
Priddy Circles Priddy Circles are a linear arrangement of four circular earthwork enclosures near the village of Priddy on the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England. The circles have been listed as Scheduled Ancient Monuments, and described as 'probable Neolithi ...
, four stone circles and two round barrows *
Ring of Brodgar The Ring of Brodgar (or Brogar, or Ring o' Brodgar) is a Neolithic henge and stone circle about 6 miles north-east of Stromness on Mainland, the largest island in Orkney, Scotland. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the ...
, Neolithic henge and stone circle. *
Thornborough Henges The Thornborough Henges are an unusual ancient monument complex that includes the three aligned henges that give the site its name. The complex is located near the village of Thornborough, close to the town of Masham in North Yorkshire, Engl ...
, three aligned Neolithic henges. *
Waulud's Bank Waulud's Bank is a possible Neolithic henge in Leagrave, Luton dating from 3,000BC. The Waulud's Bank earthworks are in the North of Luton and are situated on the edge of Leagrave common, with Central Leagrave to the south east and Marsh Farm t ...
, a possible Neolithic henge. *
Woodhenge Woodhenge is a Neolithic Class II henge and timber circle monument within the Stonehenge World Heritage Site in Wiltshire, England. It is north-east of Stonehenge, in Durrington parish, just north of the town of Amesbury. Discovery Woodhen ...
, Neolithic Class I henge and timber circle.


Hill figures

*
Long Man of Wilmington The Long Man of Wilmington or Wilmington Giant is a hill figure on the steep slopes of Windover Hill near Wilmington, East Sussex, England. It is northwest of Eastbourne and south of Wilmington. Locally, the figure was once often called the ...
, hill figure of uncertain age, but probably not
prehistoric Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The us ...
. *
Uffington White Horse The Uffington White Horse is a prehistoric hill figure, long, formed from deep trenches filled with crushed white chalk. The figure is situated on the upper slopes of White Horse Hill in the English civil parish of Uffington (in the cer ...
, Bronze Age hill figure.


Settlement sites

* Carn Brea, Cornwall *
Cheddar Gorge Cheddar Gorge is a limestone gorge in the Mendip Hills, near the village of Cheddar, Somerset, England. The gorge is the site of the Cheddar show caves, where Britain's oldest complete human skeleton, Cheddar Man, estimated to be 9,000 years ...
and its caves, forming part of the
Cheddar Complex The Cheddar Complex is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest near Cheddar around the Cheddar Gorge and north east to Charterhouse in the Mendip Hills, Somerset, England, notified in 1952. The very large area includes 4 SSSIs fo ...
*
Chysauster Ancient Village Chysauster Ancient Village ( kw, Chisylvester, meaning ''Sylvester's house'') is a late Iron Age and Romano-British village of courtyard houses in Cornwall, United Kingdom, which is currently in the care of English Heritage. The village included ...
, Cornwall *
Din Lligwy Din Lligwy (or Din Llugwy) hut circle is an ancient village site near the east coast of Anglesey, close to the village of Moelfre, North Wales. Excavations in 1905–1907 produced hundreds of Roman-period pot sherds of the 3rd and 4th centuri ...
, Anglesey * Flag Fen, Cambridgeshire *
Glastonbury Lake Village Glastonbury Lake Village was an Iron Age village, situated on a crannog or man made island in the Somerset Levels, near Godney, some north west of Glastonbury in the southwestern English county of Somerset. It has been designated as a schedul ...
*
Harrow Hill, West Sussex Harrow Hill is an archaeological site in West Sussex, England. It is on the South Downs about north of the village of Angmering and north-west of Worthing. There is Neolithic flint mine, and a Martin Down style enclosure of the Bronze Age. Th ...
* Huckhoe Settlement, Northumberland * Little Woodbury, Wiltshire * Martin Down Enclosure, Hampshire * Morgan's Hill Enclosure, Wiltshire *
Rotherley Down Settlement Rotherley Down Settlement is an archaeological site of the late Iron Age and Romano-British period on Cranborne Chase, England. It is about south of Berwick St John, and north of Tollard Royal, in Wiltshire, near the boundary with Dorset. It ...
, Wiltshire *
The Sanctuary The Sanctuary was a stone and timber circle near the village of Avebury in the south-western English county of Wiltshire. Excavation has revealed the location of the 58 stone sockets and 62 post-holes. The ring was part of a tradition of stone ...
, Wiltshire * Shaftoe Crags Settlement, Northumberland *
Skara Brae Skara Brae is a stone-built Neolithic settlement, located on the Bay of Skaill on the west coast of Mainland, the largest island in the Orkney archipelago of Scotland. Consisting of ten clustered houses, made of flagstones, in earthen dam ...
, Orkney *
Shearplace Hill Enclosure The Shearplace Hill Enclosure is an archaeological site of the Bronze Age, about south-west of Cerne Abbas in Dorset, England. It is a scheduled monument. Description It is a Martin Down style enclosure, named after the Bronze Age enclosure on ...
, Dorset * Slate Hill Settlement, Northumberland *
Smedmore Hill Settlement The Smedmore Hill Settlement is an archaeological site about south-west of Corfe Castle, in Dorset, England. The site is a settlement and an associated field system, dating from the Iron Age and Romano-British period. It is a scheduled monument, ...
, Dorset *
South Lodge Camp South Lodge Camp is an archaeological site of the Bronze Age, about south-east of the village of Tollard Royal, in Wiltshire, England. The site is on Cranborne Chase, near the boundary with Dorset. It is a scheduled monument. Description The s ...
, Wiltshire * Thundersbarrow Hill, West Sussex *
Woodcutts Settlement Woodcutts Settlement is an archaeological site of the late Iron Age and Romano-British period on Cranborne Chase, England. It is situated about north of the hamlet of Woodcutts, and about north-west of the village of Sixpenny Handley, in Dorset ...
, Dorset


Stone monuments

*
Achavanich Achavanich ( ; gd, Achadh a’ Mhanaich) is an unusual megalithic horseshoe-shaped structure near Loch Stemster in Caithness, Scotland. Meaning "field of the stones", 36 of the original 54 remain today, mostly on the western side of the structu ...
*
Beckhampton Avenue The Beckhampton Avenue was a curving prehistoric avenue of stones that ran broadly south west from Avebury towards The Longstones at Beckhampton in the English county of Wiltshire. It probably dates to the late Neolithic and early Bronze Age. ...
*
Bennachie Bennachie ( ; Scottish Gaelic: ''Beinn na Cìche'') is a range of hills in Aberdeenshire (historic), Aberdeenshire, Scotland.Whiteley, A.W.M. (Ed.) (1976). ''The Book of Bennachie''. The Bailies of Bennachie. . Mostly anecdotes and verse about t ...
* Birkrigg stone circle *
Boscawen-Un Boscawen-Ûn () is a Bronze Age stone circle close to St Buryan in Cornwall, UK. It consists of nineteen upright stones in an ellipse with another, leaning, middle stone just south of the centre. There is a west-facing gap in the circle, which ...
* Boskednan stone circle *
The Bridestones The Bridestones is a chambered cairn, near Congleton, Cheshire, England, that was constructed in the Neolithic period about 3500–2400 BC. It was described in 1764 as being long and wide, containing three separate compartments, of which only ...
*
Callanish Stones The Callanish Stones (or "Callanish I": gd, Clachan Chalanais or ) are an arrangement of standing stones placed in a cruciform pattern with a central stone circle. They were erected in the late Neolithic era, and were a focus for ritual activ ...
* Castlerigg stone circle *
Doll Tor Doll Tor is a stone circle located just to the west of Stanton Moor, near the village of Birchover, Derbyshire in the English East Midlands. Doll Tor is part of a tradition of stone circle construction that spread throughout much of Britain, I ...
* Drizzlecombe *
Grey Wethers Grey Wethers consists of a pair of prehistoric stone circles, situated on grassy plateau to the north of Postbridge, Dartmoor, in the United Kingdom. Description The circles are each approximately in diameter, and less than five metres apa ...
* The Hurlers *
Long Meg and Her Daughters Long Meg and Her Daughters is a Neolithic stone circle situated north-east of Penrith near Little Salkeld in Cumbria, North West England. One of around 1,300 stone circles in the British Isles and Brittany, it was constructed as a part of a ...
* The Longstones *
Mên-an-Tol The Mên-an-Tol ( Cornish: ''Men an Toll'') is a small formation of standing stones in Cornwall, UK (). It is about three miles northwest of Madron. It is also known locally as the "Crick Stone". Location The Mên-an-Tol stands near the Madron ...
* The Merry Maidens * Merrivale *
Mitchell's Fold Mitchell's Fold (sometimes called Medgel's Fold or Madges Pinfold) is a Bronze Age stone circle in southwest Shropshire, located near the small village of White Grit on dry heathland at the southwest end of Stapeley Hill in the civil parish o ...
*
Nine Ladies The Nine Ladies is a stone circle located on Stanton Moor in Derbyshire in the English East Midlands. The Nine Ladies is part of a tradition of stone circle construction that spread throughout much of Britain, Ireland, and Brittany during the Lat ...
*
Rollright Stones The Rollright Stones are a complex of three Neolithic and Bronze Age megalithic monuments near the village of Long Compton, on the borders of Oxfordshire and Warwickshire. Constructed from local oolitic limestone, the three monuments, now know ...
*
Rudston Rudston is a small village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated between Driffield and Bridlington approximately west of Bridlington, and lies on the B1253 road. The Gypsey Race (an intermittent stream) r ...
(
Rudston Monolith The Rudston Monolith at over is the tallest megalith (standing stone) in the United Kingdom. It is situated in the churchyard in the village of Rudston () in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Description The stone is slender, with two large flat f ...
) * Stalldown Barrow *
Standing Stones of Stenness The Standing Stones of Stenness is a Neolithic monument five miles northeast of Stromness on the mainland of Orkney, Scotland. This may be the oldest henge site in the British Isles. Various traditions associated with the stones survived i ...
*
Stanton Drew Stanton Drew is a small village and civil parish within the affluent Chew Valley in Somerset, England, lying north of the Mendip Hills, south of Bristol in the area of the Bath and North East Somerset unitary authority. Just outside the vi ...
*
Stones of Scotland There are many large stones of Scotland of cultural and historical interest, notably the distinctive Pictish stones, but also the other types discussed below. Stone of Scone The Stone of Scone, (pronounced 'scoon') also commonly known as the " ...
*
Swinside Swinside, which is also known as Sunkenkirk and Swineshead, is a stone circle lying beside Swinside Fell, part of Black Combe in southern Cumbria, North West England. One of around 1,300 recorded stone circles in the British Isles and Britta ...
*
Temple Wood Temple Wood (or Half Moon Wood) is an ancient site located in Kilmartin Glen, near Kintyre, Argyll, Scotland. The site includes two circles (north and south). The southern circle contains a ring of 13 standing stones about 12 metres (40 feet) i ...
* Threestoneburn Stone Circle * Torhouse *
Tregeseal East stone circle Tregeseal East ( kw, Meyn an Dons, meaning "Stones of the Dance"; ) is a heavily restored prehistoric stone circle around one mile northeast of the town of St Just in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The nineteen granite stones are also know ...
* Yellowmead stone circle


Structures of unknown purpose

*
Grim's Ditch Grim's Ditch, Grim's Dyke (also Grimsdyke or Grimes Dike in derivative names) or Grim's Bank is a name shared by a number of prehistoric bank and ditch linear earthworks across England. They are of different dates and may have had different funct ...
, bank and ditch earthworks. *
Seahenge Seahenge, also known as Holme I, was a prehistoric monument located in the village of Holme-next-the-Sea, near Old Hunstanton in the English county of Norfolk. A timber circle with an upturned tree root in the centre, Seahenge, along wi ...
, Bronze Age timber monument. *
Silbury Hill Silbury Hill is a prehistoric artificial chalk mound near Avebury in the English county of Wiltshire. It is part of the Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites UNESCO World Heritage Site. At high, it is the tallest prehistoric man-made mound ...
, the tallest prehistoric man-made mound in Europe. *
The Gop The Gop ( cy, Coparleni, also known as Gop Cairn or ''Gop-y-Goleuni'') is a neolithic monument lying within the Clwydian Range, northwest of Trelawnyd, in Flintshire, Wales, in the Clwydian Range. There is evidence that there was a considerabl ...
, Neolithic mound in Wales. *
Stonehenge Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, west of Amesbury. It consists of an outer ring of vertical sarsen standing stones, each around high, wide, and weighing around 25 tons, topped by connec ...
, large area of stone circles


See also

*
Prehistoric Scotland Archaeology and geology continue to reveal the secrets of prehistoric Scotland, uncovering a complex past before the Romans brought Scotland into the scope of recorded history. Successive human cultures tended to be spread across Europe or furt ...
*
Prehistoric Wales Prehistoric Wales (Welsh: ''Cynhanes Cymru'') in terms of human settlements covers the period from about 230,000 years ago, the date attributed to the earliest human remains found in what is now Wales, to the year AD 48 when the Roman army began a ...


References


External links


Winter Solstice and Long Barrows
has a listing of Long Barrow coordinates

– about-britain.com
Scottish Archaeological Research Framework
-- Chronological and regional overview of Scottish archaeology {{Prehistoric technology, state=expanded
Structures A structure is an arrangement and organization of interrelated elements in a material object or system, or the object or system so organized. Material structures include man-made objects such as buildings and machines and natural objects such as ...
Prehistoric structures
Prehistoric Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The us ...