Places To Explore
Historic Celtic sites
1 STONEA CAMP CAMBRIDGESHIRE FENS
A large multivallate hillfort, Stonea Camp is one of only three of its kind still surviving in the area. Located on a small gravel island near March in the centre of the Cambridgeshire Fens, the site was fortified by an array of earth banks and ditches. As a result, despite much local disturbance from ploughing and quarrying, it remains in excellent condition. Successive excavations of these ditches have unveiled numerous treasures at the site, as well as various human remains. These discoveries have led to some speculation that the fort may have been the location of a battle between the Britons and the Roman forces. During excavations in 1991 bones were found bearing the marks of multiple sword blows and a 1980 dig by the British Museum suggested deliberate Roman damage to the hillfort. Nearby there was also a Roman town and tower. The fens themselves are over 200 square-miles of flat agricultural land containing numerous small towns and villages. In the same area there is also Flag Fen archaeology park exploring Bronze Age life in the area.
More information on Stonea Camp and the Cambridgeshire Fens can be found at visitcambridgeshirefens.org/stoneacamp-58
2 CASTRO DE BAROÑA SPAIN
Situated on the northern coast of Spain, these impressive circular ruins and defensive stone walls are all that remain of a once powerful fortified settlement. Located on the cliff, the ruins have helped shape the peninsula’s history and create in an eerie and spectacular vista as the ocean stretches out behind them. A moat separates the town from the fort, which would have contained some 20 small establishments. Although the outer wall has deteriorated with age, it’s suspected that it once surrounded the entire fort in order to fend off attacks from the sea. Perhaps due to their obscure location, the ruins lay forgotten until 1933, when they were first excavated. Notoriously difficult to get to, the way is marked only by a few small signs. A long hike across the beach or a precarious cliff path are the only ways through which visitors can reach this once-forgotten marvel. It’s one of a number of similar ‘castro’ sites in Spain, including Santa Tegra in A Guarda.
3 CITÂNIA DE BRITEIROS PORTUGAL
Another fine example of surviving castro culture ruins, Citânia de Briteiros is located near the valley of the River Ave in Portugal. Called ‘castros’, the name refers to the high fortified settlements of these Celtic peoples but has also been adopted as an archaeological term used to describe the material culture of these Bronze Age Iberian civilisations. Due to their strategic position and strong defences, these settlements were able to hold invaders at bay and were subject only to Roman conquest. Of all, Citânia de Briteiros is perhaps one of the most impressive. Because of its unusual location, it is suspected (along with the Citânia de São
Julião) to have been a trading site between the people of the coast and those of the mainland. During the 1930s, the construction of a road led to the uncovering of the castro’s impressive cremation furnace, which had lain undiscovered. The site later became a key archaeological dig and numerous academics such as Francisco Martins Sarmento ventured there to seek the origins of the Portuguese people and culture. Now Citânia is a thriving tourist destination and a stunning reminder of the area’s Celtic past.
More information can be found at visitportugal.com
4 BRECON BEACONS WALES
Around 42 miles wide, the Brecon Beacons is one of the most beloved and famous of the United Kingdom’s national parks. It’s also home to a slew of historical sites, including numerous remains of Celtic fortifications. Overlooking the small town of Crickhowell, Crug Hywel is 1,480ft above sea level. The mountain on which the fort can be found has been nicknamed ‘tabletop mountain’ due to its distinctive flat appearance. A teardrop-shaped fort, the remains of a rampart wall and inner defensive wall can still be seen. Another, perhaps more famous, Brecon landmark is that of Maen Llia, a standing stone located in the middle of remote moorland. Suspected to date to the Bronze
Age, the stone may have overlapped with Celtic Britons but may also have been somewhat earlier. Maen Llia is a favourite landmark among visitors. Another hillfort located in the Beacons is Pen-y-crug, although little survives of this once-impressive fortification. However, the hill’s sweeping views of the surrounding area make it an ideal strategic point and a worthwhile visit for the would-be Celtic tourist.
Visitor Centre open all year, 9.30am-4.30/5pm (except Christmas). Further information can be found at breconbeacons.org
5 ALESIA BURGUNDY
Not much remains of Gallic Alesia, the once grand capital of the Mandubii tribe and the site of perhaps the key battle in the Gallic wars against the Roman Empire. The leader of the Celtic forces was the charismatic and formidable Vercingetorix. A victory for him could have meant that numerous independent Celtic tribes who had feared the Romans for so long would have been able to unify in a combined resistance against the might of Rome. For Julius Caesar, defeat would have been a humiliation too far both for his personal ambitions and the Roman Empire. As these two forces met in the field, what resulted was a battle the like of which the world had never seen before. Caesar’s interior siege lines extended some 18 kilometres, encircling Alesia, with a further exterior wall to repel attacks from the outside from the Celtic forces. Caesar utilised towers, ditches and palisades among a host of other ingenious contraptions in his bid to take the town. Needless to say, it paid off. Following Caesar’s victory over Vercingetorix and the town’s capture, it was occupied and became a Gallo-roman settlement. As a result of this there are few surviving ruins that can be attributed to the Celts. However, in the centre of a vast plane a huge monument to Vercingetorix has been erected. It celebrates the brave Celtic hero’s resistance against an ultimately unstoppable force.
Opening times are seasonal and vary between 10am-5pm and 10am-7pm. Entry varies between €6-10. More information can be found at alesia.com