Location of Bathampton Down within Somerset.

Bathampton Down, is an early Medieval earthwork, just east of Bath in Somerset, England. Bath is a city in Somerset in the south west of England It is situated west of London and south-east of Bristol. Somerset ( or) is a county in south west England The County town is Taunton, which is in the south of the county England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The site is a flat plateau in a bend of the River Avon. The River Avon is a River in the south west of England. Because of a number of other River Avons in England this river is often also known as the Lower The hill rises to a height of to 204 metres (669 ft).

The enclosure is roughly rectangular in shape, approximately 650 metres (2,133 ft) (east-west) by 500 metres (1,640 ft) (north-south). The eastern side needs no protection, because the ground falls away steeply to the River Avon, 170 metres (558 ft) below. The River Avon is a River in the south west of England. Because of a number of other River Avons in England this river is often also known as the Lower There is a single rampart and flat-bottomed ditch on the other three sides (univallate). The north and west ramparts were thought to have been borrowed from the older Wansdyke, but it now is thought improbable that Wansdyke crossed Bathampton Down. Wansdyke (from Woden 's Dyke) is an early medieval series of defensive linear earthworks in the West Country of England, ^[1] The date of the earlier earthworks is unknown, as is the date of the later enclosure.

Bathampton Down is one of the sites which are considered as possible locations for the Battle of Mons Badonicus. In the Battle of Mons Badonicus ( English Mount Badon, Welsh Mynydd Baddon) Romano-British Celts defeated ^[2]

Only the southern rampart was constructed to complete the enclosure. The total area is about 32 ha (80 acres), but there is no evidence of settlement within the site. Explanation The hectare is commonly used in most countries around the world especially in domains concerned with land planning and management such as Agriculture, The acre is a unit of Area in a number of different systems including the imperial and U The large perimeter and gentle slopes to the south mean it would be difficult to defend, so it is a generally thought to be an enclosure for animals, not a defended hill fort. A hill fort is a fortified refuge or defended settlement

Several Bronze Age round barrows (tumuli) reported in or around the the site, have been destroyed, with little trace remaining above ground. The term Bronze Age refers to a period in human cultural development when the most advanced Metalworking (at least in systematic and widespread use included techniques for Round barrows are one of the most common types of archaeological Monuments Although concentrated in Europe they are found in many parts of the world because A tumulus (plural tumuli) is a Mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves

The area is now part of a golf course behind the University of Bath. The University of Bath is a Campus university located in Bath, England.

Wansdyke and other earthworks at Bathampton Down

References

• The Victoria History of Somerset, Vol II: Ancient Earthworks (1911)
• Iron Age Communities in Britain, Barry Cunliffe (1974) ISBN 0-7100-8725-X