Shadows on the Landscape: recent archaeological discoveries was written by Paul Smith.

Paul is Oxfordshire’s County Archaeologist. He lives within the shadow of Blewburton Hill. He has provided an authorative summary of current archaeological thinking in South Oxfordshire today. His article contains up-to-date and in some cases as-yet unpublished material about the area. The three parts outlined provide superb backgrounds, at a rather deeper level, to the period themes written by Stan Hughes, Dave Carless and Jane Harrison.

Beneath Didcot Power station lie a neolithic settlement and a Saxon cemetry

Blewburton Hill was in a strategic position to influence management of the land surrounding it. It was well placed to be a centre for socio-religous activity.
In recent times an observer on Blewburton Hill may have viewed with dismay the building of Didcot Power Station, Tesco, glimpses of developments at Harwell including the Diamond Synchrotron and the Transco gas pipeline etc.

Regrettable though these invasions into the countryside may be they have allowed archaeologists to uncover layers of history and knowledge of the peoples who once lived here. For example, there was a settlement on the Tesco site at least 4000 years ago.

• Part 1: Neolithic to Bronze Age: “By the late Bronze Age, certainly by the 8th century BC, there were hilltop settlements enclosed by palisade-fences, including that on Blewburton Hill”.
• Part 2: Iron Age: After a lull in activity, on Blewburton Hill, came “the construction of the first major defences - the massive and technologically advanced six metre high box rampartss urrounded by a three metre deep ditch”, probably between 500 and 300 BC.
• Part 3: Roman and Saxon periods: “The defences of Blewburton would have rapidly become obsolete once the Roman invasion took place”. The increased number of farm settlements indicated that agrarian activities expanded and flourished. The Saxons followed the Romans; their cemeteries and grave goods provide information on this period, 5th to 6th century AD, in particular the burial on Blewburton Hill.