Portingbury Hills

Portingbury Hills (or Portingbury Rings) is an Iron Age earthwork site in Hatfield Forest, Essex, consisting of a rectangular mound (100 by 70 feet) with a V-shaped ditch up to 35 feet wide, connected by a zigzag causeway to a second mound. Excavations in 1964-1965 recovered a flint blade, pottery sherds, animal bones, and charcoal, with radiocarbon dating placing the ditch construction before 395-205 cal BC. However, the dating remains debated, as the ditches resemble medieval moats and may reflect overbuilding across different periods.