Monument record MDO18389 - Poundbury Late Iron Age / Early Roman Cemetery, Site E-F

A Late Iron Age - Early Roman cemetery containing at least 42 burials was found on site E-F during the 1966-79 excavations at Poundbury, Dorchester, with a further burial found during observations of the Poundbury pipeline in 1986. The burials were mainly crouched and laid on their right sides. No single grave orientation was present, but burial with the head to the east was the most popular. Eight burials contained grave goods, of which five contained pottery vessels dating to the middle of the 1st century AD, two contained copper alloy rings dating to 50BC-AD50, and one contained a copper alloy brooch datable to 75-25BC. Animal bone was deliberately deposited in four graves. There was a concentration of infant and neonate burials found in the area of the Late Iron Age and Early Roman unenclosed settlement. It appears that stillborn infants may have been buried under the floor or walls of buildings and adults were buried outside but still close to the living area. The earliest burial is contemporary with the latest Iron Age houses and the latest with the Early Roman rectangular buildings.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 Site C, further to the SE.

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. The numbers in square brackets below refer to the context and feature numbers used in the published report and archive (1) (2).

Forty-one inhumation graves, probably dating to the Late Iron Age/ Early Roman period were found on Sites E and F; another burial was found to the north during the recording of the Poundbury Pipeline (3). These burials were in rectangular, circular or oval graves and where it could be determined most burials were crouched, with a few contracted burials and several laid on their back with the legs drawn up, and one was prone with the legs flexed. Almost all the burials were laid on their right side. There was no single grave orientation, though burials laid with the head to the east were the most numerous, followed by those with the head to the west and to the south. Three graves [ E1348, E1364, E1391] produced coffin nails indicating the former presence of a coffin.

Eight burials contained grave goods, of which five contained pottery vessels dating to the middle of the 1st century AD, two contained copper alloy rings dating to 50BC-AD50, and one contained a copper alloy brooch datable to 75-25BC. Grave [E1348] had two pottery vessels by the head and a sheep skull deposited as grave goods. Grave [E1351] had four pots placed around the head. Grave [E135] had a pig's head buried with the body. Grave [E1367] had a pot between the arms of the burial. The infant burial in Grave [E1391] had a pot beside the head. Grave[F1402] contained articulated animal bones, presumably the remains of a joint of meat, beside the left hand and three copper alloy finger rings were found on the right hand. Grave [F1403] had a copper alloy brooch found near the left shoulder of the skeleton. Grave [F1409] had articulated animal bones near the right knee and a copper alloy ring on the left hand.

A stratigraphically important group of 1 adult and 22 neonates and babies up to 1 year old was excavated in the NE corner of site E, coincident with the occupation terrace of the late Iron Age open settlement and the early Roman settlement.

It appears that the majority of these burials on Sites E and F date from the middle of the 1st century to the beginning of the 2nd century AD and span the period from the currency of the latest Iron Age round-houses to that of the post-built rectangular structures in the early Roman period. The contemporaneity of graves and structures suggests a tradition of burying stillborn and very young children within the living area while adults were buried outside but still close to the settlement.

<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.

<3> Davies, S M and Grieve, D, 1986, 'The Poundbury pipe-line: Archaeological Observations and Excavations', Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society (Article in serial). SDO9537.

Record last edited

Jul 26 2010 6:57AM