Monument record MDO19290 - Poundbury, Dorchester; Late Roman/post-Roman road G1090

Some possible road metalling G1090 was discovered during the 1966-79 excavations at Poundbury, Dorchester. This has been suggested as forming part of a road leading from the late Roman and early post-Roman settlements at Poundbury to the north or west gate of Dorchester.

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 excavation report and archive (1)(2). Further refinement of the post-Roman settlement sequence has been undertaken by Christopher Sparey Green since the initial publication of the site and this has been taken into account in the following description (3) (4).

In the northern part of Site G, an ill-defined metalled surface [G1090] was identified. It comprised a layer of crushed flints between 25-50mm thick, between 1.8m and 3.6m wide. It was laid directly on the natural chalk and overlay the fill of an Iron Age enclosure ditch. This metalled surface has been suggested as being a road leading to the north or west gate of Dorchester from the Poundbury settlement (1).

This surface is not well dated. A late 4th century AD coin of Valens was found possibly sealed by the metalling and a late 3rd century AD coin of Gallienus was found in the overlying soil layer. The northern edge of the metalling was cut by the edge of post-Roman structure R20b and by its enclosure ditch. These have been dated to phase 2 of the post-Roman settlement. This may indicate a late Roman date for the construction of this possible road, which may have continued in use into the early post-Roman phase (3).

<1> Sparey Green, C, 1987, Excavations at Poundbury, Dorchester, Dorset 1966-1982. Volume 1: The Settlements (Monograph). SDO9630.

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

<3> Sparey Green, C J, 1996, Poundbury, Dorset: settlement and economy in the Late and post-Roman Dorchester (Article in monograph). SDO10040.

<4> Sparey Green, C J, Living amongst the dead: From Roman cemetery to post-Roman monastic settlement at Poundbury (Article in monograph). SDO10041.

Record last edited

Mar 21 2011 10:31AM