Danebury is the name of an important European Iron age hillfort in Nether Wallop, Hampshire, England, near the modern town of Stockbridge. Elevated at 145 meters (475 feet) above sea level and about 45 m (150 ft) above the surrounding landscape, Danebury was a significant regional center during its heyday and is still a commanding presence in the region yet today.
Danebury was built about 550 BC, and it remained a regional center until the 1st century BC, when the Romans reached Hampshire and a number of Roman oppida were established in the area. In 50 AD, the ruins were largely abandoned.
Danebury's ruins include a group of circular wooden houses built around the exterior of a fortification and along nearby metalled roads. Excavations indicated that Danebury remained an important regional capital for several centuries, with intensive habitation and economic activity illustrated by a large number of storage pits.
Organic Evidence at Danebury
The preservation of animal and plant remains was excellent at Danebury, and, carefully preserved by the excavators, the organic evidence has continued to provide a wealth of dietary information to scholars investigating the archived materials.
The dominant domesticated plant among the assemblage is spelt wheat (Triticum spelta), with significant amounts of hulled six-row barley (Hordeum polysthichum). Other domesticated plants found in lesser amounts include bread (T. aestivo-compactum) and emmer (T. dicoccum) wheats. Based on isotope analysis of the charred grains, these plants were grown in a variety of environmental areas, which Lightfoot and Stevens conclude supports the notion of Danebury as a central place where resources were pooled and redistributed.
Animals at Danebury included domesticated cattle, sheep, horse, pig, dog, goat and cat, and wild forms of red deer, roe deer, fox, badger, fish and birds.
Recent Studies
Among the animal bones identified at Danebury were a large number of ravens and crows, perhaps (say Serjeantson and Morris) deliberately buried for ritual purposes. Corvid burials are common in Roman and Iron Age period sites, and such activities appear to be a religious practice between the first millinneium BC and the first millennium AD.
In 2005, Danebury's archives were part of an extensive study identifying the use of ruminant milk absorbed into the fabric of pottery sherds (Copley et al.). Milk fat lipids were identified in many potsherds; the most common vessel form associated with milk lipids was a jar (used for collection), rather than a saucepan (used for cooking). Danebury's faunal collection included approximately 20% cattle, and 65-70% sheep/goats. More than half the cows lived to at least 3.5 years of age, and the female-to-male ratio was approximately 18 females for 14 males. Further, a high mortality rate for calves was noted. Sheep/goats showed a higher mortality in their first year, with a 65:14 overall female to male ratio. Based on this, Copley and colleagues concluded that dairy farming, specifically collecting cow's (and possibly goat) milk took place at Danebury.
Archaeology
The site was excavated between 1968 and 1989 by Barry Cunliffe; because of the preservation of organic materials in the field and in the lab, faunal and floral studies continue to this day. Danebury is now open to the public.
Sources
This glossary entry is part of the About.com Guide to the Iron Age and the Dictionary of Archaeology.
Copley MS, Berstan R, Mukherjee AJ, Dudd SN, Straker V, Payne S, and Evershed RP. 2005. Dairying in antiquity I. Evidence from absorbed lipid residues dating to the British Iron Age. Journal of Archaeological Science 32(4):485-503.
Lightfoot E, and Stevens RE. 2012. Stable isotope investigations of charred barley (Hordeum vulgare) and wheat (Triticum spelta) grains from Danebury Hillfort: implications for palaeodietary reconstructions. Journal of Archaeological Science 39(3):656-662.
Reynard LM, Henderson GM, and Hedges REM. 2011. Calcium isotopes in archaeological bones and their relationship to dairy consumption. Journal of Archaeological Science 38(3):657-664.
Serjeantson D, and Morris J. 2011. Ravens and crows in Iron Age and Roman Britain. Oxford Journal Of Archaeology 30(1):85-107.
Wells PS. 2008. Europe, Northern and Western: Iron Age. In: Pearsall DM, editor. Encyclopedia of Archaeology. London: Elsevier Inc. p 1230-1240.
