It is not known what was happening on this hill 5000 years ago, but on the slopes around it early farmers were establishing ceremonial sites which seemed to respect and even revere it. During the Iron Age a fort was built on the hill. Its white chalk ramparts dominated the landscape, emphasizing the cohesion and power of its builders. It was later occupied by the Romans, Saxons and the Normans, who rebuilt the fort in stone. By early medieval times a castle, cathedral and a thriving market town all prospered here. All this ended when a new cathedral was built at the new city of Salisbury. The little market town struggled on for a while, but eventually was deserted.