SDO9692 - Excavations at South Grove Cottage, Dorchester

Early Roman occupation was represented by a pit of c AD 70, and later 1st and 2nd century spreads of material. These seemed to respect an early boundary on the line of the later ramparts. The lower chalk and turf rampart appeared to date from c. AD100-125. A large enigmatic chalk-and-flint feature just to the north of the early rampart, appeared to be immediately followed by the upper rampart layers, which could be either late 2nd/early 3rd century AD, or possibly late 3rd century AD. Later Roman features include part of the robbed foundation of a later 3rd/4th century building, and four 4th century pits. Two phases of cobbling at the back of the rampart are probably late Roman, as may be several unsealed small features. Modern terracing and pits were also found.