Carn Euny Ancient Village, nr Sancreed, Cornwall

This a reconstruction drawing of the remains of an Iron Age village. The first traces of settlement on the site date from the 5th century BC. For some 500 years, the village was formed of relatively simple Iron Age 'round houses'. Their walls were built of turf or wattle daubed with clay, and the roofs were probably covered with thatch or turf, supported on timber posts. These have now completely disappeared - with only the circular drainage gullies and postholes surviving, to be excavated by archaeologists in the 1960s. As part of this early settlement, a remarkable underground stone chamber with an entrance passage was built. This distinct type of monument, found only in the far west of Cornwall, is known as a 'fogou', deriving from the Cornish word 'ogo' meaning cave. This site is now in the care of English Heritage (2010). Find out more

Location

Cornwall Carn Euny

Period

Prehistoric (to AD42)

Themes

This is a reconstruction drawing of what Old Oswestry Hillfort might have looked like. The hillfort has ramparts made of five earthen banks and ditches. There are two entrances, one on the east and one on the west. The inner two banks and ditches are the earliest and probably dating to around the sixth century BC. The visible earthworks represent several phases of construction. Each phase increased the defensive capabilities and status of the site. Excavations during the 1940s revealed that the site was in use from the Late Bronze Age through to the end of the Iron Age. The earliest occupation of the site being a Late Bronze Age settlement of round huts. A Roman phase at the site is indicated by finds of pottery and tile, but exactly where their activity was concentrated is uncertain. This site is now in the care of English Heritage (20100. Read detailed archaeological description.

Carn Euny Ancient Village, nr Sancreed, Cornwall

Location

Period

Themes

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