Twenty-seven Iron Age post-hole structures that were identified across Plateau 8 of the Thanet Earth investigations. Most of these were formed by four or six posts. A number of possible two posted, and more irregularly numbered structures were also identified, though several of these are somewhat dubious in form. It is traditionally assumed that the four- and six-posted structures that are well represented across the Plateau 8 settlement formed granaries. Functionally, the only direct indication that the Thanet Earth structures were perhaps used as granaries is provided by Structure 14, the only such building to provide evidence for preserved grains within its post-holes. The association of four and six-posters with particular pits groups perhaps suggests that (like the feature clusters themselves), the posted structures may have served individual households. Unfortunately, how (or indeed whether), such putative relationships are real remains unclear as many of the Thanet Earth structures lie on the periphery of the site. In respect to date, there is a growing body of evidence to indicate that post-built structures are concentrated in the earlier phases of many hillfort sites and at Thanet Earth all of the dated posted structures appear to lie within the early Iron Age. Alternative explanations as to the function include that they were used for storing hay and other materials, or that they were utilised as platforms upon which the dead were laid out for exposure. (information summarised from source) (1)

<1> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 2023, Beneath the Seamark: 6000 Years of an Islands History (Monograph). SKE55405.