Quarley Hill is the site of an
Iron Age
The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...
univallate hill fort in
Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...
, southern England. The hill affords commanding views of the surrounding countryside.
Oval in plan, the fort is in good condition with a counter-scarp and well defined entrances at north-east and south-west. It is built on the site of an earlier palisade enclosure.
[http://www.hants.gov.uk/hampshiretreasures/vol08/page180.html Hampshire Treasures website] There is evidence of prehistoric activity in the area including four large
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...
ditches radiating from the hill fort,
believed to be part of a Bronze Age farming settlement, and a
barrow cemetery about a mile away to the north. There is also evidence for a
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of Roman civilization
*Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
settlement on the northeast side of the hill,
with Roman coins of
Maximum II and
Constantine the Great
Constantine I (27 February 27222 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was a Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337 and the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. He played a Constantine the Great and Christianity, pivotal ro ...
, and other sherds found in 1951.
Today, the ditches and ramparts are for the most part clear, with the centre of the site given over to small trees and shrubs. The site is recorded as a scheduled ancient monument no.67.
The fort is surrounded by a
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...
called
Quarley Hill Fort.
Location
The site is at , to the south-west of the village of
Quarley, and to the north-west of the village of
Grateley in the county of
Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...
. The
Port Way Roman road passes just to the south of the hill, running southwest to northeast. The hill's summit is at 172 metres above sea level.
See also
*
List of places in Hampshire
This is a list of settlements in the county of Hampshire, England. Places highlighted in bold type are towns or cities.
The Isle of Wight was in Hampshire until 1890. Bournemouth and adjacent parishes in the far west were transferred to the cer ...
*
List of hill forts in England
See also
* List of hill forts in Scotland
* List of hill forts in Wales
*Iron Age, British Iron Age, prehistory
References
;Bibliography
*
Further reading
*
*
*
External links
* A crowd-sourced project to map the hillforts of Britain and ...
References
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{{Iron Age hillforts in England
Iron Age sites in England
Buildings and structures in Hampshire
Hill forts in Hampshire
Hills of Hampshire
Archaeological sites in Hampshire