A new chronology for the Welsh hillfort of Dinas Powys

Ewan Campbell; Andy Seaman; Alan Lane; Gordon Noble

doi:10.15184/aqy.2023.156

A new chronology for the Welsh hillfort of Dinas Powys

Ewan Campbell, Andy Seaman^* (Corresponding Author), Alan Lane, Gordon Noble

^*Corresponding author for this work

Archaeology

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Abstract

Excavated by Leslie Alcock in the 1950s, the inland promontory fort of Dinas Powys is widely cited as a type site for elite settlements of post-Roman western Britain. Alcock's interpretation and dating of the main defences as a Norman-period castle were effectively disproven in the 1990s, but the excavator's original chronology continues to be cited. Here, the authors present a revised chronology, integrating new radiocarbon dates and stratigraphic analysis to re-evaluate the history of occupation. The new phasing redates the main defences to the early medieval period, which aligns with the site's notable early medieval assemblage. The findings contribute to understanding of post-Roman western Britain and the (re)occupation of late antique hilltop sites more generally.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1548 - 1563
Number of pages	15
Journal	Antiquity
Volume	97
Issue number	396
Early online date	27 Oct 2023
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2023.156
Publication status	Published - Dec 2023

Bibliographical note

Acknowledgements:
The laser scan of Dinas Powys was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology. We would also like to thank Jeremy Knight, Anna Bloxam, Mark Lodwick and Amgueddfa Cymru National Museum Wales.

Funding statement:
Dates for bank 1 were partly funded by the Leverhulme Trust Comparative Kingship project (RL-2016-069).

Keywords

early medieval
hillfort
multivallate fort
radiocarbon dating
Wales

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This article has been published in a revised form in Antiquity [http://doi.org/XXX]. This version is published under a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND licence. No commercial re-distribution or re-use allowed. Derivative works cannot be distributed. © copyright holder.
Accepted author manuscript, 1.32 MBLicence: CC BY-NC-ND
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Final published version, 1.48 MBLicence: CC BY

Cite this

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abstract = "Excavated by Leslie Alcock in the 1950s, the inland promontory fort of Dinas Powys is widely cited as a type site for elite settlements of post-Roman western Britain. Alcock's interpretation and dating of the main defences as a Norman-period castle were effectively disproven in the 1990s, but the excavator's original chronology continues to be cited. Here, the authors present a revised chronology, integrating new radiocarbon dates and stratigraphic analysis to re-evaluate the history of occupation. The new phasing redates the main defences to the early medieval period, which aligns with the site's notable early medieval assemblage. The findings contribute to understanding of post-Roman western Britain and the (re)occupation of late antique hilltop sites more generally.",

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author = "Ewan Campbell and Andy Seaman and Alan Lane and Gordon Noble",

note = "Acknowledgements: The laser scan of Dinas Powys was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology. We would also like to thank Jeremy Knight, Anna Bloxam, Mark Lodwick and Amgueddfa Cymru National Museum Wales. Funding statement: Dates for bank 1 were partly funded by the Leverhulme Trust Comparative Kingship project (RL-2016-069).",

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AU - Noble, Gordon

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AB - Excavated by Leslie Alcock in the 1950s, the inland promontory fort of Dinas Powys is widely cited as a type site for elite settlements of post-Roman western Britain. Alcock's interpretation and dating of the main defences as a Norman-period castle were effectively disproven in the 1990s, but the excavator's original chronology continues to be cited. Here, the authors present a revised chronology, integrating new radiocarbon dates and stratigraphic analysis to re-evaluate the history of occupation. The new phasing redates the main defences to the early medieval period, which aligns with the site's notable early medieval assemblage. The findings contribute to understanding of post-Roman western Britain and the (re)occupation of late antique hilltop sites more generally.

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KW - hillfort

KW - multivallate fort

KW - radiocarbon dating

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SP - 1548

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JO - Antiquity

JF - Antiquity

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ER -

A new chronology for the Welsh hillfort of Dinas Powys

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

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