The Berth

This reconstruction is based an an excellent aerial photograph of the the Berth owned by the Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust (CPAT 84-C-215) who gave us their permission to use it on our site. I've made ours black and white as I think it gives it an older, moodier feel. Of course no Iron Age person would have seen this view, unless it was a Druid having an out-of-body experience. Only the local birds were going to have the pleasure. This is the best vantage point for showing how much the area may have been flooded at the time, although we can’t be certain as to its full extent or how deep it was. For most of the year it may have just been marsh but we know that the weather of Britain at this time was colder and wetter so maybe it was flooded all year round. Either way it would have proved an excellent means of defence for a hill fort that wasn’t exactly on a hill. It may have helped to keep the uninvited wild animals out too. Iron Age Britain still had plenty of bears and wolves to contend with and they may not have wanted the wild boars wandering into camp either. The causeways leading to the two camps were made from stone and gravel brought from a nearby quarry. It must have taken quite some time to have completed the project, which was probably done during the summer months when the waters were at their lowest. It also makes sense that this had to be done before any work on the Main Enclosure could begin, since all the timber and stone needed for its construction would have to have been transported this way. It's possible that, like other Iron Age causeways, it was covered with wooden planks, which is what we've placed on ours.