Scandinavia and Russia Hillfort

hill fort in halikko, finland

in scandinavia , northern russia, hill forts fortifications iron age may have had several functions. located on crests of hills , mountains making use of precipices , marshes worked natural defences. crests more accessible parts defended walls of stone , outer walls in slopes beneath common. round , closed, called, ring forts common on flat ground. walls have remaining parts of stone, support of pales. have delineated gateways, gates of of wood. hill forts strong walls located beside old trade routes , have offensive character, whereas others reclusive , weakly fortified, hiding during raids.

many forts, located centrally in densely populated areas, permanently settled strongholds , can show traces of settlements both inside , outside. older place names containing element sten/stein hill forts.

in sweden, there 1100 known hill forts strong concentration on northern west coast , in eastern svealand. in södermanland there 300, in uppland 150, Östergötland 130, , 90 100 in each of bohuslän , gotland. norway has 400 hill forts, denmark has 26.