In the south-west of England is an area known as the Somerset levels. This is an area of wetland rich in a range of resources such as water birds, reeds and fertile soils. During the Iron Age, communities settled on the levels, no doubt to make full use of the resources available there. In order to live successfully on the wet levels, settlement sites were built on platforms. The most famous of these ‘lake villages’ are those that were excavated in the early and middle 20th century at Glastonbury and Meare.

The lake village at Glastonbury was situated on a platform created from brushwood and timber packed with rubble, clay and vegetation. Around eighty round houses were constructed over the lifetime of the site. These houses were enclosed by a palisade fence, constructed in part to keep the platform together. Because of the wet location of this site, many organic materials like wood have been preserved. This provides us with insights into the Iron Age that we do not normally have. For example, there are decorated wooden vessels, demonstrating that it was not only metal objects that were ornamented.