NEWS - OUT AND ABOUT

Burrough Hill revealed

University of Leicester archaeologists investigate imposing Iron Age hill fort

Issued on 17 June 2010

Photo opportunity on site on Sunday 20th June- Open Day on Sunday 20 June 11-4

One of Leicestershire’s most important archaeological monuments is being excavated for the first time in nearly 40 years.

English Heritage has given permission for excavation within the Scheduled Monument at Burrough Hill for archaeologists from the University of Leicester to undertake a training excavation. An Open Day is planned at the site near Melton Mowbray on Sunday 20 June from 11-4.

Focussing on two areas of the imposing Iron Age hillfort, the project is learning much about the life of its inhabitants and their surrounding landscape. The excavations have already revealed part of the massive stone defences of the hillfort entrance, which was also furnished with a cobbled road and huge timber gateway.

One of the site directors, John Thomas said: ‘This is a remarkable opportunity to examine Leicestershire’s finest hillfort. Hillforts are enigmatic monuments and have rarely been scientifically excavated. Although some work was carried out at Burrough Hill in the 1950s and 1960s this was very small scale. With our work we hope to solve some of the mysteries of these monuments’.

Dating from the Iron Age (c. 600BC – AD43) although described as ‘forts’ they were more like defended villages. There have already been some surprises. Geophysical surveys have shown that the settlement extended further to the east than the defended area and has given an insight into the wider use of the hillfort, showing many round houses and hundreds of large pits that were probably used for the storage of grain.

One of the excavated areas has revealed part of the gatehouse to the hillfort, with stone-revetted earthworks, a room and large post holes which may relate to the gate structure. A second trench has revealed many Roman finds in the northern half of the hillfort suggesting that the site remained significant for nearly 800 years.

Dr Patrick Clay of University of Leicester Archaeological Services said: “We have found an amazing amount of information about life in the Iron Age in Leicestershire over the past 20 years but these have mainly been from examining small farmsteads and a few larger undefended settlements. The big gap in our knowledge has been how these large defended ‘hillforts’ fitted into the picture. Did they serve as market centres for surrounding farms or were they a tribal leader’s capital – or both? This work may help to provide some of the answers.”

• There will be an open day about the excavations on Sunday 20th June from 11.00am-4.00pm when there will be guided tours of the site and a display of some of the discoveries.

Note to newsdesk: For more information contact Jeremy Taylor or Richard Buckley 0116 252 2848.