There has been human habitation in the area since at least 500
BC;
Stonea Camp archaeological site is the lowest
Iron Age hillfort in Britain. The site is thought to be the site of a battle in 47 AD mentioned by
Tacitus, between the
Iceni tribe and a Roman auxiliary force under governor
Ostorius Scapula. A medieval farmhouse at Stitches Farm was demolished in 1973. The camp itself was ploughed over in the 1960s, but the filled-in ditches were restored to the bank formation by the
British Museum and
Cambridgeshire County Council in the 1980s. To prevent further damage by agriculture, the area is now designated as a
scheduled monument and
pocket park. The substantial foundations of the rectangular building suggest some height; at least three storeys are proposed. The building featured a
hypocaust and had walls decorated with painted plaster. Architectural fragments include tiles and window glass. However, the tower was demolished ca 200 AD. The Roman settlement at Stonea may have been the establishment of a
procurator, based in the tower and supervising the Roman draining of the fens. Alternatively it may have been planned as a town with a market and bureaucratic role. == Film and television ==