Ipf Mountain

The Ipf is a mostly treeless mountain (668 metres (2,192 ft) high), near Bopfingen, Ostalbkreis, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, with a prehistoric hill fort on its top [1]. The fort is situated on an isolated hill, with a flattened summit surrounded by a stone wall, ditch and large counterscarp (outer bank) [1]. The overall diameter is about 180 metres (590 ft) [1]. Extensive ramparts traverse the slopes to protect a large enclosed area and entranceway [1]. There is evidence of occupation from the Bronze Age (Urnfield culture) through the Iron Age to the early Celtic La Tene period, a span of almost a thousand years (1200 BC – 300 BC) [1]. The summit was already levelled, fortified and densely settled in the Urnfield period [1]. During the early Iron Age Hallstatt period and into the early La Tène period the Ipf was an important 'princely seat' – a regional centre of power and aristocratic residence with long-distance trade connections, including with Greece and Italy [1].