Iron Age villagers \'behind times\'

[Arthes]

This should be in the Newsfeed, but doesn't seem to be...

Iron Age villagers 'behind times'
Iron Age villagers living in west Somerset were 'behind the times' according to evidence unearthed by a team of archaeologists.
The team has been investigating the site at Maundown Water Treatment works near Wiveliscombe.

Six round houses dating back to 100 BC have been revealed by the dig.

A site of this age should show signs of square Roman houses but the existence of only round houses shows the village was behind the times in property style.

full story

Its sounds to me that these Britons resisted change a little longer, rather than being 'backward'. Not everyone welcomed the Romans and the West (this site is close to Exmoor) Britons (who are amongst my ancestors) tended to not give in without a fight..hence still speaking their own Brythonic language in the 14th century....so why aren't they given some credit for that?
regards
Arthes

[Viventius]

It sounds like the reporters picked up on a minor comment as the excavators tried to make the point that that the village didn't fit into the current knowledge of the area. Behind the times sounds more succinct, but it's initially misleading.

I'd be very surprised if the Behind the times comment would make it to any proper publication of the site; it's too subjective. However, in the interim, the phrase behind the times does hint at an intriguing story - why are they still in round houses, were they really behind the times, etc? Every discovery brings more questions. So, in a way, the behind the times quote is acute and bound to stir interest.

It sounds like a good site, and the fact that it has been reported in the media might help get funding to do more investigations or get the post excavation analysis and publication done.