Quarley Hill is the site of an

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...

univallate hill fort A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post-Rom ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

, 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 is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

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 ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

settlement on the northeast side of the hill, with Roman coins of

Maximum II ''Maximum II'' is Japanese dance unit, MAX's second album. It was released on December 25, 1997 by record label, avex trax. The album is a departure from their debut effort completely void of the Eurobeat sound that made the group popular inst ...

and

Constantine the Great Constantine I ( , ; la, Flavius Valerius Constantinus, ; ; 27 February 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, the first one to Constantine the Great and Christianity, convert to Christiani ...

, 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 of ...

called Quarley Hill Fort.

Location

The site is at , to the south-west of the village of

Quarley Quarley is a village and civil parish in the Test Valley district of Hampshire, England. It is about west of Andover and according to the 2001 census had a population of 161, reducing to 150 at the 2011 Census. An Iron Age hillfort A hillf ...

, and to the north-west of the village of Grateley in the county of

. The

Port Way Port Way (also known as the Portway) is an ancient road in southern England, which ran from Calleva Atrebatum (Silchester, in modern-day Hampshire) in a south-westerly direction to Sorbiodunum (Old Sarum, Wiltshire). Often associated with the ...

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.

References

__NOTOC__ {{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

Location

See also

References