Monument record MDO18090 - Maumbury Rings Roman amphitheatre, Dorchester

The Neolithic henge monument at Maumbury Rings was extensively remodelled in the early Roman period to construct an amphitheatre. The level of the interior was significantly reduced to form the arena and the spoil added to the bank. A sloping ramp was constructed down to the arena in the north entrance. The sides of the arena were revetted in timber and a safety fence added around the edge of the arena leaving a narrow access path. Three rectangular niches were cut into the chalk on the east, west and south sides, perhaps for changing rooms. The amphitheatre was possibly constructed as a Roman military ludus shortly after the Roman conquest. It was remodelled after a short period of abandonment, perhaps in the later 1st century AD and another entrance was added to the south. It appears to have gone out of use during the 2nd century AD. The site was digitally plotted during the South Dorset Ridgeway Mapping Project.

The earthworks of the Roman amphitheatre were investigated during the excavations directed by H St George Gray between 1908-1913. Previously there had been some investigation in the north entrance in 1879. The monument was fully described and interpreted by Richard Bradley in 1976 (1).

The amphitheatre was adapted from the Late Neolithic henge earthworks, but involved massive reconstruction. The entire interior of the henge enclosure was lowered by about three metres and the resultant chalk rubble was added to the top and the rear of the Neolithic bank. The Neolithic henge entrance was replaced by a ramp 27m long which sloped down from the ground surface to the new floor of the arena and at a later stage another smaller entrance was cut through the Neolithic bank to the south. The arena is oval, whereas the henge was circular, so it is likely that the Neolithic bank was scarped to the north and south. The vertical wall of the new arena was cut from the level of the chalk bedrock, but in places was cut through the Neolithic ditch and shafts, which were filled with a consolidation deposit of up to 1.2m of rammed chalk. Three rectangular recesses were cut into the chalk level with the floor of the arena to the east, west and south. The edge of the arena was revetted by a substantial palisade.

At least two phases of amphitheatre construction can be recognised. The first phase had only a single entrance to the north. This comprised of steep-sided flat bottomed trench which rose up from the edge of the arena floor to reach the existing ground surface about 7.5 m beyond the circuit of the bank. There was no sign of any surfacing or revetting of this entrance ramp. Three pairs of substantial postholes were found in the area of the entrance where it met the arena. (Five posts were identified during excavation and the sixth is projected from the curving shape of the edge of the natural chalk.) These postholes appear to have been recut at least once. The outermost pair of posts was on the line of the palisade forming the edge of the arena and may have held a gate or gates. The other two pairs of postholes behind may have held a bridge or walkway over the entrance. The arena itself appears to have been covered in sand and was about 48m by 58m across. The edge of the arena was defined by two parallel post trenches for substantial timber palisades, which defined a passageway around the edge of the arena about 0.6-0.9m wide. The outer post trench probably supported a timber revetment to protect the edge of the cut into the chalk and to retain the edge of the bank and perhaps to support a podium. There was some evidence for horizontal struts running back into the bank. The inner palisade may have served as a safety barrier. The three rectangular recesses were between 5.9m by 3m and 6.7m by 4.3m across and had evidence for post trenches along the sides, to take some kind of superstructure or screen. They may have been used as rest rooms or changing rooms for the performers in the arena. No evidence for seating survived in the bank.

The second phase of the amphitheatre appears to have taken place perhaps after a short period of abandonment and it is unclear whether all the features are of a single date representing a coherent phase, rather than a series of piecemeal later modifications. The layout of the amphitheatre remained substantially unchanged. In the northern entrance, the original elements appear to have been covered by a series of silting layers. A series of postholes were dug through this rubble along the east and west sides of the entrance reducing the width of the entrance. There was also a path running to the east and the west from the entrance around the edge of the arena. The southern entrance appears to be a secondary feature and largely removed the original southern rectangular recess. There was probably a continuing series of post renovations and replacements around the edge of the arena and up to four separate phases of replacement can be recognised in places. It is unclear whether the east recess continued in use but there may have been some evidence for resurfacing of the west recess at this time.

Three human burials were found associated with the amphitheatre and were clearly not part of its original design. An adult male inhumation was found on the northern entrance ramp, an adult female inhumation in a grave was also found on the north entrance ramp, and an adult male inhumation was found in a grave just outside the northern entrance. These may belong to the Roman cemetery along the edge of the Roman road to Weymouth, elements of which have been found further to the north.

The dating of the construction of the amphitheatre is not clear but the earliest deposits include Durotrigian coarsewares of the 1st century BC/AD and a Durotrigian coin, as well as a series of early Roman finds, some of which may fit into a Roman military context and include Corfe Mullen pottery, Samian pottery, Lezoux colour coated ware, an iron projectile point, a first century AD seal box, Claudian coins and penannular brooches. Other 1st century AD finds were found residually in later contexts. Many of these finds would fit comfortably within a Roman military context and the amphitheatre may have been constructed as a military ludus, shortly after the Roman conquest. If this is the case, then it may have been abandoned about AD65-70 with the move of the Roman army westwards. The second phase of use of the amphitheatre may relate to a civilian refurbishment after the establishment of the Roman town of Dorchester. The amphitheatre then seems to have gone out of use during the 2nd century AD, at which point several outliers from the nearby Roman cemetery were buried in and around the north entrance. There are a number of finds which suggest there may have been some sort of reuse of the monument in the mid 3rd—mid 4th century AD.

Not directly related to the Roman monument, it is perhaps pertinent to mention here that in 1895 spoil from the Cedar Park area of Dorchester (an area rich in Roman material) was tipped over the interior. Therefore, any Roman finds in the upper part of the interior have no association with the monument. The site was digitally plotted during the South Dorset Ridgeway Mapping Project.

06-APR-2002, PGA_SY6985 (Aerial Photograph). SDO11801.

Stukeley, W, 1723, Of the Roman Amphitheater at Dorchester (Bibliographic reference). SDO9440.

Stukeley, W, 1776, Itinerarum Curiosum, 163-175 (Bibliographic reference). SDO9441.

Pope, A, 1885, The Amphitheatre at Dorchester. Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Antiquarian Field Club, 66-69 (Article in serial). SDO9397.

Moule, H J, 1895, Antiquities of Dorchester, 150-155 (Article in serial). SDO9396.

Moule, H J, 1901, Dorchester Antiquities, 5-6 (Bibliographic reference). SDO9439.

Moule, H J, 1906, Dorchester Antiquities, 24-25 (Bibliographic reference). SDO9552.

Gray, H St George, 1908, Interim report on the Excavations at Maumbury Rings, Dorchester, 1908, 256-72 (Article in serial). SDO9388.

Gray, H St George, 1908-1913, Maumbury Rings excavation archive (Excavation archive). SDO9419.

Gray, H St George, 1909, Interim report on the Excavations at Maumbury Rings, Dorchester, 1909, 215-235 (Article in serial). SDO9389.

Gray, H St George, 1910, Interim report on the Excavations at Maumbury Rings, Dorchester, 1910, 232-266 (Article in serial). SDO9390.

Gray, H St George, 1913, Interim report on the Excavations at Maumbury Rings, Dorchester, 1912, 81-106 (Article in serial). SDO9391.

Gray, H St George, 1914, Fifth Interim Report on the Excavations at Maumbury Rings, Dorchester, 88-118 (Article in serial). SDO9392.

Dewar, H S L, 1968, Maumbury Rings (Monograph). SDO20834.

Bellamy, P S, 2013, Maumbury Rings, Dorchester, Dorset, Archaeological Observations and Recording during new fencing and retaining wall construction, June-September 2012 (Unpublished document). SDO13990.

Clarke, C P, 2015, Report of Archaeological Monitoring and Recording at Maumbury Rings NW Entrance, Weymouth Avenue, Dorchester, Dorset DT1 1QZ (Unpublished document). SDO14449.

<1> Bradley, R, 1976, Maumbury Rings, Dorchester: The Excavations of 1908-1913, 1-97 (Article in serial). SDO9387.

Record last edited

Aug 22 2024 7:26PM