Other hillforts nearby include Danebury to the east, Sidbury Hill and Casterley Camp to the north, Yarnbury Castle to the west and Figsbury Ring and Old Sarum to the south.

[1] The earthworks were named "Vespasian's Camp" in the 16th century by William Camden, an Elizabethan antiquarian and historian, during a tour of the area.

[1] A road constructed over the hilltop in the Middle Ages separates the southern part of the site from the rest of the hillfort.

[4] However, documentary research showed that the hillfort had escaped most of the landscaping,[5] and excavations began in 2005,[6] concentrating on an area just north-east of Vespasian's Camp known as Blick Mead.

There is a one-metre (40-inch) thick layer of domestic waste that suggests the hill had a considerable population after the banks were constructed.

[8] The struck flint tools were in pristine condition, sharp enough to cut the fingers of some of the excavators, and it is believed that the layer may extend several hundred metres further.

[6] Evidence suggests that the area around the spring was used for large feasts, including the consumption of aurochs, and as a centre for tool-making.

A number of large and well known monuments lie within the WHS, but the area also has an exceptionally high density of small-scale archaeological sites, particularly from the prehistoric period.