Roman-British Farmstead and Twist Hill Fort: A Historical Overview
The fort at Twist Hill, located approximately 1.5 km south of a Romano-British farmstead, measures about 47 metres square. Although the surrounding ditch has been completely filled in, the lower sections of the fort's walls remain intact, with a height of at least 0.385 metres. Two gateways face one another, though no roads leading to these entrances are traceable. At the southeast corner of the fort, the foundation of a 16-metre square building can be found, running diagonally to a length of 16.5 metres.
The site contains a number of dressed stones, some of which exhibit distinct Roman stylistic features. It is thought that some of these stones could have served as tomb markers. Additionally, a bronze coin dating from the reign of Emperor Marcus Aurelius (161-180 AD) has been discovered at the site.
However, according to a 1929 publication by MV Taylor and RG Collinwood in The Journal of Roman Studies, excavations at a supposed Roman camp near Burnley, conducted with the advice of Professor Atkinson and Mr IA Richmond, suggest that the site at Twist Hill may not be Roman after all. Despite a pilot project field survey conducted in 1999, the exact origins of the site remain inconclusive.
There is ongoing speculation that some of the stones at Twist Hill could have originally been part of an earlier site or a temporary camp, adding further mystery to the site's true purpose and history.
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