Dorchester Town Council

Prehistory to Roman

Prehistory to Roman Inside Dorchester's massive Neolithic wood henge, Iron Age people are busy weaving woollen cloth.  Roman soldiers defeat local tribes at Maiden Castle and build the town of Durnovaria with villa, shops, market and fountain.

Upper left is the Woodhenge, built approximately 2000 BC.  It is over a mile in length; its full extent was revealed when the car park below Waitrose was built.  The tree trunks are over one metre in diameter and only one metre apart, so there was probably a palisade.  The Autumn Festival is in progress!

Next on the right, Iron Age home life is represented, including textiles

The lower left shows the Roman burning of Maiden Castle, where a Celtic skeleton, now in the Dorset County Museum, was found. 

To the right is the reconstruction of the best-excavated villa with an imaginary town scene, featuring shops, a market and a fountain.