Drawing of a typical fortification. The builders used wood beams to form containers filled with rocks to create a barrier on top of the embankment. Defenders could stand on the ledge created behind the wood barrier at the top. While many of the hill forts were relatively small, some were as large as 6km (3.7m) across. Their positions at the tops of hills and ridges provided commanding views of the surrounding countryside and would have made them difficult to attack.
Recently, archeologists have begun to question whether all hill forts were built for defensive purposes. In some cases, no evidence has been found of any structures inside the embankments. This suggests that those "hill forts" may have been used to pen animals. In other cases, the artifacts found indicate that particular sites may have been used for markets and as production sites for bronze.
Bronze Age Hoards
Flanged axeheads found in a large hoard in Catalonia. These may have been cast as ingots for trade. They would have been used by purchasers to melt down for casting into other useful objects. One activity that occurred in many hill forts was the production of bronze. While copper could be mined locally in Catalonia, the tin alloy had to be imported from western Spain or even as far north as the Cornish coast of Britain.Bronze Age homes
Scale model of a village during the Late Bronze Age. Rectangular buildings started to replace round structures in Urnfield villages in central Europe. This style began to reach Iberia during the Late Bronze Age, but roundhouses also continued in use all through the Iron Age right up to the Roman invasion. Although the shapes may have changed, the construction materials largely remained the same: walls of wattle and daub or stone, with thatched roofs.
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