Maiden Castle
Mai-Dun
Iron Age (800 BCE–43 CE), over Neolithic causewayed enclosure·Durotriges (British Iron Age)·🇬🇧 Dorset, South West England, United Kingdom
About
About Maiden Castle
Massive Iron Age hillfort enclosing 47 acres on a chalk ridge south of Dorchester, developed from a Neolithic causewayed enclosure (c. 3350 BCE) into a multivallate fort with complex entrances by c. 450 BCE. Excavated by Mortimer Wheeler (1934–37) revealing dense roundhouse occupation, war cemetery and Roman temple reoccupation.
Why it mattersType-site for developed hillforts; Wheeler's excavation established Iron Age chronology.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Scale of population vs agricultural catchment
- 02Nature of Roman war cemetery trauma
Theories
- 01Tribal capital of Durotriges
- 02Ritualised warfare and display
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 600 BCE ramparts (causewayed enclosure 3350 BCE)
- Period
- Iron Age (800 BCE–43 CE), over Neolithic causewayed enclosure
- Culture
- Durotriges (British Iron Age)
- Purpose
- Defensive hillfort, tribal centre and later Romano-Celtic temple site
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c. 3350 BCE
Neolithic causewayed enclosure built
c. 600 BCE
Early Iron Age ramparts enclose 47 acres
1934–37
Mortimer Wheeler major excavation
c. 380 CE
Romano-Celtic temple built inside
On the ground
Structures & features
50.6945° N · 2.4682° W · 132 m · 4 mapped features
Neolithic Causewayed Enclosure
enclosureInner Neolithic enclosure ditches beneath Iron Age ramparts
50.6952° N · 2.4668° WEast Entrance Hornworks
entranceComplex out-turned entrance with four ramparts
50.6931° N · 2.4642° WRoman Temple Platform
templeRock-cut Romano-Celtic temple podium inside eastern enclosure
50.6958° N · 2.4671° WWar Cemetery
cemetery68 Iron Age burials with trauma near eastern gate
50.6938° N · 2.4650° W