Monument record MDO18563 - Alington Avenue Roman D-shaped enclosure 3559

Evidence for a Roman D-shaped enclosure, was discovered during excavations at Alington Avenue. A large D-shaped enclosure, defined by modest chalk-cut ditches, occupied the central part of the main excavation area. The NE apex of this enclosure, and all subsequent expansions, fell outside the excavated area and presumably lies under the modern road. Two major phases of enlargement were recognised as well as the inception of a road or drove way along its northern boundary. All of these developments avoided the Bronze Age double ring-ditch 2300. A 2m wide flat-bottomed ditch with shallow sloping sides defined the earliest enclosure. The southern and eastern sides of this enclosure were clearly visible, formed by two ditches joined at a right angle in the SE corner. The northern boundary is presumed to have followed the line of the later re-cuts. It is not clear if there was a contemporary drove way. An entrance is postulated at the northern end of the eastern ditch. The area enclosed was approximately 0.35ha.

Found during a series of archaeological evaluations and excavations conducted by Wessex Archaeology at Alington Avenue, Fordington, Dorchester, between 1984-1987. The results of the excavations have been published as a Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society Monograph (DNHAS Monograph 15). The numbers in square brackets below refer to the context and feature numbers used in the published reports (1).

A large D-shaped enclosure, defined by modest chalk-cut ditches, occupied the central part of the main excavation area. The NE apex of this enclosure, and all subsequent expansions, fell outside the excavated area and presumably lies under the modern road. Two major phases of enlargement were recognised as well as the inception of a road or drove way along its northern boundary. All of these developments avoided the Bronze Age double ring-ditch [2300]. A 2m wide flat-bottomed ditch with shallow sloping sides defined the earliest enclosure [3559. The southern and eastern sides of this enclosure were clearly visible, formed by two ditches [596] & [521] joined at a right angle in the SE corner. The ditches were cut to a maximum depth of 0.6m into the chalk and probably never presented a substantial obstacle and were unlikely to be defensive in nature. The northern boundary is presumed to have followed the line of the later re-cuts [520/550] but no remains of the first phase ditch were clearly isolated during the excavation. It is not clear if there was a contemporary drove way, again the first phase may have been completely destroyed by the later re-cutting of the ditches. An entrance is postulated at the northern terminal of the eastern ditch [596] on the NE side of the enclosure, but the opposing terminal was not identified. A small curved length of ditch, [2133/2134] probably represents a two phase modification of this entrance. The area enclosed was approximately 0.35ha.

The fills of all the ditches of this phase comprised a variety of mixed chalk and loam deposits, suggesting that the ditches were regularly cleaned and maintained. The fills contained relatively small quantities of generally abraded debris, mostly pottery and animal bone. 90% of the pottery was undiagnostic Black Burnished Ware, with a small amount of Samian. The pottery is consistently earlier Roman (pre150AD). No specific 1st century AD types were recovered and it is thought to have been constructed around 100AD. Stratigraphic evidence shows that the Late Iron Age boundary system had silted up prior to the construction of this 1st phase of D-shaped enclosure. The phase 1 enclosure ditches were also cut by the boundary edge cemetery of the later 2nd-early 4th centuries.

Phase 2 saw the re-cutting of the curving northern ditch [520] and the addition, some 6m further north, of a parallel ditch [2209] to form a drove way. The other boundaries on the south and east sides of the enclosure were pushed out by 6-8m to come within 2m of the Bronze Age monument [2300] but still apparently constrained by its presence. The NE entrance was retained, but modified with the addition of a hooked terminal [2566]. The overall dimensions of the phase 2 enclosure ditches were slightly larger than those of the first phase; the average top width being 2.2m and the average depth 0.75m. But the basic shape remained the same. Little of the pottery recovered from the fills of these ditches needed to be later than about 200AD. This phase probably encompassed the period c. 150-250AD.

In phase 3 the south western enclosure boundary, to the east of the Bronze Age ring ditch [2300], was extended out further still [3540/3245], but went through a series of dog legs to avoid encroaching on the monument. The eastern boundary was less clearly defined, but probably comprised the small ditches [4139/2498/1744/2441], on a similar line to the phase 2 eastern enclosure boundary. Little cultural material was present in this phase but the suggested date is c. 250-325/350AD. Ditches [96/2052/2579/3218] eastwards may represent a further final extension by about 6-8m but this is not clearly dated.

<1> Davies, S M, Bellamy, P S , Heaton, M J , and Woodward, P J, 2002, Excavations at Alington Avenue, Fordington, Dorchester, Dorset, 1984-87 (Monograph). SDO9565.

Record last edited

Dec 12 2018 5:44PM