Iron Age Encampments

[willpalin]

Thanks for previous answers but more precisely; how can you tell if a piece of land was once an Iron Age Settlement? Without excuvation? There are a series of stones in a rough circle and three or four circular depresions on a field similer to nearby sites that have been identified as North and South Iron Age Camps. I'm hoping this could be the West Camp previously unidentified. Also there may be a large standing stone discarded in the hedge/bank. In other words how are/were encampments laid-out? How does one initially confirm that this may be an Iron Age Site? Can anyone provide a link to 'an idiots guide' of basic knowledge in this subject?

[Clanad]

Identifying Iron Age sites without detailed, organized archaeological surveys and excavation would be nearly impossible.  As you can see from the selected readings below, even those sites thought to be Iron Age in origin are suspect in some cases... but at any rate, good luck!

http://www.personal.rdg.ac.uk/~lascretn/IAAgenda.htm

http://www.brigantesnation.com/SiteResearch/Iron%20Age/SuttonCommon/SuttonCommon.htm

http://www.shef.ac.uk/archaeology/publications/past-times/pastjan04.html

[ursula62]

Why not contact Channel 4 and ask if Time Team would be interested in doing a dig there? You'd have to check with the landowner first if it's not on your land though.

[Peter Pedant]

I dont reckon you can without evidence gained from excavation.

Bear in mind that 2% of sites are Bronze age, so, so long as it is a prehistoric site of some sort, you gonna be right if you say - Oh I think this looks like an Iron age site.......