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"A Biography of Power: Research and Excavations at the Iron Age Oppidum of Bagendon, Gloucestershire (1979–2017)" by T. Moore is a comprehensive study that aims to shed light on the lesser-known Iron Age site of Bagendon in Gloucestershire. The book combines the results of new excavations, geophysical surveys, and previously unpublished work to provide a detailed understanding of the site's chronology, phasing, and significance. The research reveals a complex settlement system and trade network in southern Britain during the Iron Age, highlighting the evolving nature of cultural identity and elite power. The book is a valuable resource for researchers interested in this critical period of history. [Extracted from the article]

Summary: The idea that an invading Roman army brought about the end of hillforts in south‐west Britain, using artillery fire to demoralize and defeat their enemy, is one of the most powerful narratives in British archaeology, being a constant element in both academic literature and public discourse. At the heart of the debate is the evidence recovered by Mortimer Wheeler during fieldwork conducted at Maiden Castle, in Dorset, between 1936–37. Wheeler interpreted a series of burials found in the east gate of the hillfort as a 'war cemetery', residue of an ultimately futile defence of the site, in the face of Roman aggression, by the local Durotriges tribe. A recent survey of hillforts in Dorset has, however, cast significant doubt on Wheeler's hypothesis, suggesting that not only is the widely accepted battle‐theory unsupported by the archaeological evidence, but also that the Durotriges themselves were unconnected to any fortification or defence of Maiden Castle. This paper explores the conclusions of that survey, examining how the dramatic story of a siege first took shape in the late 1930s and why it became so immediately popular with the public. The problems of linking material remains to postulated historical events are outlined and the beginnings of a new model for Late Iron Age settlement at Maiden Castle are presented for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A well-furnished, Late Iron Age Durotrigian burial was found in 2010 by a metal-detectorist at Langton Herring in Dorset. This report examines all aspects of the discovery, paying particular attention to the skeletal remains, a female aged 19–24, providing the most complete, osteobiographical study of an individual buried with a mirror assemblage from the European Iron Age. A combination of artefacts and radiocarbon dating gives a range for the burial of c.AD 25 – cal AD 53. The grave goods themselves are of exceptional interest, representing an accumulation of artefacts acquired from diverse sources, deposited at a time of major cultural and societal change in southern Britain. The results of a geophysical survey are also presented, together with a discussion of additional well-furnished burials in the Durotrigian tribal tradition, which place the burial deposit within a wider social and landscape framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]