The University of Leicester's School of Archaeology and Ancient History, together with ULAS, welcomed the public to view their latest fieldwork at an open day on 26 June 2011, at the Iron Age hillfort of Burrough Hill, Leicestershire (England).
     Not much is known of the site and Leicester University are starting their second year of a five year programme to rectify that. The first year revealed some of the defences, a road, a gateway and a 'guard' chamber. But most exciting of all was the discovery, by geophysical survey, of a large Iron Age settlement outside the hillfort boundary.
     This season's excavations will centre around re-visiting last year's dig, plus further work around the entrance to the hillfort and the external settlement. Next year will see investigations into occupied areas within the hillfort. In conjunction with this will be a wider study of how this and other Iron Age and Roman settlements in the area interact with each other, using LiDAR surveys, magnetometry and old fashioned field walking.
     Dr Patrick Clay, Co-Director of Leicester Archaeological Services, is quoted as saying "This is a great opportunity to examine the development of this remarkable monument. Our understanding of Iron Age sites has increased enormously in the last 20 years but this has mainly been through examining lowland farmsteads and a few larger settlements. This work will help our understanding of the role of 'hillforts' and their relationship wih the smaller surrounding settlements".

Edited from University of Leicester (June 2011), 24dash.com (21 June 2011)