With the arrival of the Iron Age into Europe, people settled in large and usually fortified settlements that existed alongside smaller unfortified villages, hamlets and farmsteads.

The most prominent settlements in the heart of Europe were hillforts. Though individual hillforts already rose during the Bronze Age, now their construction was in full swing even deeper inland.

Hillforts were built on elevated positions, could have multiple levels and terraces and were enclosed with ramparts built with a combination of stone, wood and earth. The type and shape of the ramparts was determined by the terrain, improving defense by often running along the edges of steep slopes and sinkholes.

Lowland settlements that didn’t have the advantage of an elevated position, were often built at the river bends or promontories, usually close to hillforts for protection. The tradition of settling near waterways stretches all the way back to the Neolithic.

People cleared large areas of forest around settlements to procure large quantities of wood and charcoal for their flourishing metallurgy and lifestyle. Rich gravesites and cemeteries have often been located in the vicinity of settlements.


Sources: docs.google.com/document/d/1mnK9tpEvz9UgeVWuUh8fPF…

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Learn more about the history in the heart of Europe:    • History in the heart of Europe  

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