Atlas of the Hillforts of Britain and Ireland - by Gary Lock & Ian B M Ralston (Hardcover)

About the Book

The hillforts of five countries thoroughly mapped, described and explained

Book Synopsis

This book provides the first comprehensive series of maps of the hillforts of Britain and Ireland, with accompanying commentaries and broader overviews which interpret the survival and detection of this evidence in its later prehistoric and early historic contexts. The authors expertly assess and analyse the available evidence for over 4,000 hillforts from Shetland to Cornwall to County Clare to a single standard and present their findings in both map and descriptive form. Further detailed information is available to search online via our website.

From the Back Cover

The hillforts of five countries thoroughly mapped, described and explained This book provides the first comprehensive series of maps of the hillforts of Britain and Ireland, with accompanying commentaries and broader overviews which interpret the survival and detection of this evidence in its later prehistoric and early historic contexts. The authors expertly assess and analyse the available evidence for over 4,000 hillforts from Shetland to Cornwall to County Clare to a single standard and present their findings in both map and descriptive form. Linking to the online appendix where a wealth of detailed information is available to search, the book is an indispensable resource. Gary Lock is Emeritus Professor of Archaeology at the University of Oxford. Ian Ralston is Abercromby Emeritus Professor of Archaeology at the University of Edinburgh and President of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland.

Review Quotes

Atlas has high production standards, clear text and Paula Levick's crisp cartography, enhanced by some 155 maps and diagrams, almost all in colour and 75 tables, showing absolute and percentage figures of hillfort attributes on a regional basis [...] by providing accessible meta detail for each hillfort, it facilitates further enquiry, raising questions about the relationships which hillforts have to one another in time and space and to their topography, and for this, Gary Lock, Ian Ralston and the wider team who have worked on this project are to be commended.

--James McDougall "Scottish Archaeological Journal"

A lasting legacy of The Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland project and just reward for the considerable achievement of the authors in steering the compilation of the online Atlas and the production of this published volume will be the new research and conservation initiatives that hopefully it will continue to inspire.

--W.J. Britnell "Archaeologia Cambrensis"

Painstakingly researched and generously illustrated, this book provides an unparalleled overview of the hillforts of Britain and Ireland. An indispensable resource for all future study of these emblematic monuments.

-- "Colin Haselgrove, Professor of Archaeology, University of Leicester"

Well-written and -illustrated, the Atlas is easy for those without detailed archaeological knowledge to understand. It is highly recommended for anyone interested in the topic or the findings of the original project.--Andrew Tibbs "The Past"

Well-written and illustrated, the Atlas is easy for those without detailed archaeological knowledge to understand. It is highly recommended for anyone interested in the topic or the findings of the original project.--Andrew Tibbs "Current Archaeology"

About the Author

Gary Lock is Emeritus Professor of Archaeology at the University of Oxford where he has researched and taught later prehistoric archaeology for over 30 years. He has a special interest in landscapes, including the applications of Geographic Information Systems, and the theoretical and practical study of hillforts. Gary has led excavations at hillforts on the Oxfordshire Ridgeway, in North Wales and Shropshire. He is a long standing member of the Hillfort Study Group.

Ian Ralston is Abercromby Emeritus Professor of Archaeology at the University of Edinburgh, is presently President of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. He has excavated hillforts in France at Mont Beuvray in Burgundy and Levroux and Bourges in Berry. The writer of some 150 published papers, he is the author or editor of more than 20 books. Ian has also extensively researched Scottish archaeological topics including both pre- and post-Roman hillforts.