Understanding Iron Age Hillforts: A Practical Approach



Overview

Hillforts are spectacular monuments of the Iron Age in visually impressive landscape settings. Visiting these sites today evokes the age-old questions of who built them and why? This course will try to answer these and other questions through discussion based on visiting hillforts and looking at the evidence they provide through excavation and other means.

We will visit sites in the Oxfordshire area which have been chosen because they provide evidence upon which we can base discussion. Using published materials we will assess whether the evidence suggests that hillforts were used as defensive places, meeting places, or a combination of the two. Were they permanently occupied or just occasionally used? Why were they constructed in these locations?

The course will be mainly field trip-based, with three full-day trips, and will also include two classroom sessions. The first field trip will be a visit to Danebury in Hampshire and to the Museum of the Iron Age in Andover. The following two will be a detailed look at hillforts on the Oxfordshire and Wiltshire Ridgeway, to discuss the results of recent excavations and look at their landscape setting. These will be Cherbury Camp, Segsbury Camp, Uffington Castle, Alfred's Castle, Liddington Castle and Barbury Camp.

The visits will involve some walking and in some cases over moderately rough terrain.

Programme details

Course starts: 10 Oct 2024

Week 1:   10 October: Classroom at Ewert House: Introduction to the Iron Age and hillforts.

Week 2:   17 October: Full day trip (approx: 10am - 4pm) to Danebury hillfort in Hampshire and the Museum of the Iron Age in Andover.

Week 3:   24 October: Full day trip (approx: 10am - 4pm) to Cherbury, Segsbury and Uffington hillforts.

Week 4:   31 October: Full day trip (approx: 10am - 4pm) to Alfred's Castle, Liddington and Barbury.

Week 5:   7 November: Classroom at Ewert House: Pulling it all together: discussing hillforts.

Digital Certification

To complete the course and receive a certificate, you will be required to attend at least 80% of the classes on the course and pass your final assignment. Upon successful completion, you will receive a link to download a University of Oxford digital certificate. Information on how to access this digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will be able to download your certificate or share it on social media if you choose to do so.

Fees

Description Costs
Course Fee £155.00
Take this course for CATS points £30.00

Tutor

Prof Gary Lock

Gary Lock, MCIfA, FSA., Emeritus Professor of Archaeology, OUDCE. He was Co-Director of the Atlas of Hillforts Project, has written and taught extensively on the Iron Age and hillforts and excavated several in England and one in North Wales.

Course aims

To introduce aspects of Iron Age life, and specifically an understanding of hillforts and how to study them, to students with variable previous knowledge of prehistoric archaeology.

Course Objectives

  • To give students an appreciation of hillforts, how to study them and how they were used in the Iron Age.
  • To introduce students to different kinds of evidence, including in the field, and theoretical approaches appropriate for understanding Iron Age archaeology.
  • To encourage students to develop their own interests in the Iron Age through further study and by visiting sites and museums.

Teaching methods

The two classroom based sessions will be based on illustrated lectures, hand-outs and discussion. The three day field trips will be based on observation and discussion of the monuments themselves and hand-outs of information based on excavation and other work relevant to each site. Particular attention will be paid to landscape setting and how earthworks can be interpreted.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will be expected to:

1. have an understanding of Iron Age archaeology and hillforts in particular;

2. be aware of the different kinds of evidence available for studying the Iron Age and have the ability to assess their relative values;

3. have the background and enthusiasm to visit related sites and to carry on with further reading and research.

Assessment methods

Work for assessment can be either a portfolio or an essay. Topics for the portfolio will be provided and integrated into the teaching and field trips. Relevant essay titles will be discussed on an individual basis and reading guidance given.

Coursework is an integral part of all weekly classes and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework in order to benefit fully from the course. Only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work to the required standard.

Students must submit a completed Declaration of Authorship form at the end of term when submitting your final piece of work. CATS points cannot be awarded without the aforementioned form - Declaration of Authorship form

Application

To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.

Please use the 'Book' or 'Apply' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an application form.

Level and demands

The Department's Weekly Classes are taught at FHEQ Level 4, i.e. first year undergraduate level, and you will be expected to engage in a significant amount of private study in preparation for the classes. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class.

Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS)

To earn credit (CATS points) you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online. Students who register for CATS points will receive a Record of CATS points on successful completion of their course assessment.

Students who do not register for CATS points during the enrolment process can either register for CATS points prior to the start of their course or retrospectively from January 1st after the current full academic year has been completed. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support