More information : Occupation of the hillfort at Ham Hill continued into the late first century until it was destroyed during the Roman conquest of the South West (1). Settlement after this date was thought to be small scale, but quarrying within the interior has destroyed any structural evidence. Finds recovered include pottery, adzes, scythes and billhooks (2-5). A high proportion of Republican and early first century AD coins indicate the presence of a fort, this is also apparent within the metalwork. The pottery assemblage contains samian and a glazed conical beaker, neither out of place within a military context. (6-8)
A villa was constructed within the interior during the second century (ST 41 NE 8), and a cemetery (ST 41 NE 14) and other burials (ST 41 NE 78) have been located within the hillfort in 1866. The coins recovered from Ham Hill include two third century hoards (ST 41 NE 9, 11). The later Roman coin assemblage include blank discs, broken fragments, and struck over official issues, some showing very little wear and may have been minted at or near the hillfort (1).
The Roman activity on Ham Hill has been fully reviewed, based on field work, in the RCHME Ham Hill Survey Project Report (9-10). |