The Atlantic Coast

Abstract

During the Iron Age the Atlantic zone of Wales exhibited similar traits to other areas along the western seaboard of Europe, most notably a large number of small, enclosed or defended settlements and a poverty of recoverable material culture. This has led some authorities to regard the area as marginal and somewhat backward compared with economic and social developments along the Welsh borders, England and continental Europe. This short article reviews the evidence for settlement, with an emphasis on west Wales, highlighting both the similarities and differences that existed along the Atlantic Coast and demonstrating that the vibrant Iron Age communities of the area were part of but different from the shared culture of north-west Europe in the late first millennium.

Keywords

• archaeology
• Wales
• Iron Age
• settlement
• hillfort
• Atlantic zone