Archaeological investigation has revealed that there were two periods of construction at the Chanctonbury Hill Fort.
The first dates from the Early Iron Age, since Iron Age pottery was found in a ditch in the lowest layer. Above this there was a great deal of Romano-British pottery and a number of cranium bone fragments of Ox and Sheep. The cranium bone fragments suggest that this was used as a place of ritual. No evidence of post holes or signs of wooden defenses has been found.
Due to the lack of evidence of any settlement within the hill fort could mean that the site was used as a refuge for nearby settlements in times of danger, or that it was simply used as a stock enclosure or religious center for ritual use. Since the Romans chose to locate a temple at the site would indictae that it was likely the latter.
I was disppointed to learn that a terrible storm had knocked down a great number of the trees in 1987. Obviously, the ring would appear quite different now if this had not happened. The trees have been replanted, ofcourse. On a positive side, this incident allowed for a more thorough archaeological investigation of the site.
These investigations uncovered the leg bones of an adult male which had been buried under tree roots east of the temple. The burial was aligned East-West and the bones dateed 960-1280 CE. The main temple area was relocated and the outside wall was apparently discovered to have been covered in red plaster.
Further investigation uhncovered a second irregularly shaped temple structure. This polygon-shaped temple had a rectangular entrance chamber with a mosaic floor. The entrance points in an eastern direction, like the main temple. Deposits of pig jaw bones and teeth fragments have been found have been found here, indicating possible sacrificial offerings. Similar deposits of pig bones have been found at a Romano-British temple in Hampshire.
The ring has been connected with the Romans, as we have seen with the legend of the appearance of Julius Caesar and his army, but the ring has more sinister legends associated with it as well.
One legend creditsw no less that the Devil himself with creating the Ring. It is said that this is one of the clumps of earth thrown from his shovel when he built the Devil's Dyke. The other clumps are Mount Caburn, Cissbury, Rackiham Hill and the Isle of Wight!
The Ring has also been associated with fairies and even UFO's. Fairies are said to dance in the ring on Midsummer Eve (June 21), and UFO's have been sighted at the Ring at this time also. In 1968, a group of people decide to watch for UFO's on Midsummer Eve and reported a sighting, along with feelings of intense cold, electrical shock, difficulty breathing, and stomach pains.
Four years later, a man and his friends were walking in the ring when they were surprised by a noise from above. The noise was caused by a large object brushing the tree tops. The object was surrounded by a red glow. After the object moved off a ways, they saw blue lights as well as what appeared to be four windows on top of the object
In 1974 and 1979, similar objects were sighted over the fort, and in 1975, a bright orange object was seen over Cissbury Ring before it headed off towards Chanctonbury, where it was also seen by a woman walking her dog.
It has also been said that the old astrologer, Prince Agasicles Synnesis the Carian, was a frequent visitor to the ring in the early 1600's. This was apparently one fo the places he observed starts from. legend has it that the Prince died in the Ring after writing "Bury Me Where I have Fallen" in charcoal.
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