by Matthew Law

Site name: Ram's Hill County: Berkshire

Excavation publication:

Needham, S, & Ambers, J, 1994 Redating Ram's Hill and reconsidering Bronze Age enclosure, Proc Prehistoric Soc, 60, 225-44

Landscape location/environmental setting of site:

On the northern edge of the Wessex chalk massif, rising to an altitude of 238m. Overlooks the Vale of the White horse and Upper Thames Valley

Site description:

Originally noticed as the remains of a ploughed out earthwork in 1922, the site consists in fact of three enclosures, a large external earthwork enclosing some c.3.5 ha, an inner, oval enclosure and, appended to the east side of the outer rampart, a rectangular, Roman enclosure. It is the inner enclosure that has been subject of most archaeological attention.

Work in the late 1930s gave an Iron Age date for the outer enclosure and a Roman date for the rectangular enclosure. The inner area however was of uncertain date, possibly Middle Bronze Age, suggested by the presence of a collared urn, with evidence of Late Bronze Age activity as well.

After increasing speculation on the purpose of the site, excavations were undertaken by Bradley and Ellison in 1972 and 1973. Plough damage meant that they were limited in terms of areas that might offer high levels of preservation. This revealed a complex ditch-fill sequence involving multiple phases, along with a whole range of postholes and structures initially thought to have been root holes but since interpreted as stake holes. The form of the attendant rampart, which had not survived, was also suggested. The suggestion was of a three-phase history, with phase one being a square cut ditch with an associated stone-faced ‘dump' rampart. Phase two involved the remodelling of the original rampart to let in a timber box frame with frontal palisade and a rear row of spaced bracing posts. Phase three saw the placing of a double palisade in slots cut into the top of the ditch, now almost entirely silted up.

The evidence for the chronology of this sequence, however, was rather poor, being based around finds which were not in usefully stratified contexts, and so much reliance was placed on the occasional artefacts such as the collared urn. This appears to give dates within a range of 3020-2960 BP, however there was no definitive calibration for radiocarbon dates prior to 1986. Another problem was the material that was dated - there was an exclusive reliance on charcoal. This was felt to be more reliable than bone, as inorganic carbon in bones is prone to isotope exchange with carbonates in surrounding groundwater, although charcoal also carried uncertainties, particularly in terms of reuse of materials. Newer techniques, as practiced by the authors, allow the dating of collagen from bone, however, which contains organic carbon that is less prone to isotope exchange. New samples were taken from three young animals buried at the south entrance. Two antler samples were also used. The mean result found was 2810+/-40BP, with the oldest samples being the antlers, perhaps an indication of redeposition.

Improved accuracy in the dating of sequences of defences at Ram's Hill is important for the understanding of the entire phenomenon of enclosures. It also provides a focus point for discussions on the regional economy. The site bears no evidence for the processing of grain, despite having had, at one point, provision for storing grain. There is no evidence to suggest any prolonged habitation. It has been explained as a feature of a pastoralist community, for whom it became a meeting point, perhaps for inter-regional exchange.

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