A GIS-based Analysis of Hillfort Location and Morphology

Moving away from the highly constrained, purely humanistic and empirical studies of hillfort location and morphology of the past, this book presents a multi-regional GIS-based analysis of the form and siting of several groups of hillforts across Britain. The location and morphology of hillforts in Ceredigion, Dartmoor, Aberdeenshire, The Gower and Warminster are investigated through a combination of GIS-based analysis and field visits. An innovative approach of integrating movement with visibility is employed to investigate whether movement, visibility and topography influenced the location and morphology of these hillforts. This investigation emphasises the complexity of hillforts as a class of site. It demonstrates that GIS-based analysis, when combined with fieldwork, can effectively be applied to the investigation of hillfort location and form, paving the way for future research agendas within hillforts and beyond.