Monument record MDO18388 - Poundbury Late Iron Age / Early Roman Cemetery, Site C

A small Late Iron Age - Early Roman cemetery was found on site C during the 1966-79 excavations at Poundbury, Dorchester. Twelve oval and rectangular graves were found containing the remains of fourteen burials. These lay along or just to the west of a Late Iron Age boundary ditch, with only a single grave to the east of the boundary. Where it could be determined, the burials were either crouched or contracted. This burial group contained four adult males, four adult females, one child and two infant inhumation burials. Only two graves contained grave goods; copper alloy finger ring dated to 50BC-AD50 and a faience bead. It seems likely that these burials dated from the middle of the 1st century BC to the beginning of the 2nd century AD. They are probably contemporaneous with those found on Sites E and F, further to the NW.

Found during the excavations directed by Christopher Sparey Green, for the Dorchester Excavation Committee, between 1966 and 1979 during development of the Grove Trading Estate on the eastern slopes of Poundbury Camp, Dorchester (1). The numbers in square brackets below refer to the context and feature numbers used in the published report and archive (1) (2).

Twelve inhumation graves containing the remains of fourteen burials were found in the southern part of Site C. These burials were all in rectangular, circular or oval graves and where it could be determined they were either crouched or contracted burials. No trace of a coffin was found in any of these graves and only two contained grave goods. Grave [C265] contained a faience bead and grave [C432] contained a copper alloy finger ring dated to 50BC-AD50. This burial group contained four adult males, four adult females, one child and two infant inhumation burials.

Graves [424], [432], [453] and [459] post-dated a Late Iron Age boundary ditch. Grave [265] pre-dated the building of Roman structure R12. It seems likely that these burials dated from the middle of the 1st century BC to the beginning of the 2nd century AD. They are probably contemporaneous with those found on Sites E and F, further to the NW.

Green, C J S, 1979, Poundbury. A summary of recent excavations at Poundbury, Dorchester (Unpublished document). SDO16393.

<1> Farwell, D E and Molleson, T I, 1993, Excavations at Poundbury, Dorchester, Dorset 1966-1980. Volume II: The Cemeteries (Monograph). SDO9538.

<2> Sparey Green, C, 1966-1979, Poundbury, Grove Trading Estate, Dorchester (Excavation archive). SDO10096.

<4> Green, C J S, 1977, Poundbury. A Summary of Excavations at Poundbury, Dorchester, Dorset carried out between 1966 and 1976 (Unpublished document). SDO16394.

Record last edited

Feb 20 2019 4:51PM