Dorset walks - A stroll between Poundbury and Maiden Castle

Here is a small exercise in compare and contrast. 
A footpath conveniently meanders across the fields joining the brand spanking new settlement of Poundbury to the the rather more ancient one of Maiden Castle.

Its a good little hike especially if you have visitors that need entertaining. It's just a paltry forty minutes each way with loads to interest at both ends, and a plethora of cafes at Poundbury.

Hills and Views - Maiden Castle

Maiden Castle, the largest Iron Age hill fort in Europe, occupies a low hill just a mile or so from the town of Dorchester, yet  it still manages to retain an atmosphere of airy isolation. The still-lofty defensive banks and ditches rise up like frozen waves and are a charmed place to lie back and listen to the atmospheric cry of the invisible skylark.

To really appreciate the earthwork requires wings, as only then can you appreciate the sophisticated layout of this ancient structure.
Here, 2000 years ago, the Roman army, led by Vespasian faced the local lot, the Durnovaria, in a battle that was probably a forgone conclusion; British slingshots would have been no match for Rome's state-of-the-art ballistas.

The story of their last stand was painted in chilling detail when archaeologist Mortimer Wheeler conducted an extensive dig here some seventy years ago. A mass grave of the defenders was uncovered, the skeletons clearly exhibiting battle wounds; while huge reserves of slingstones brought from nearby Chesil Bank lay unused .
Today life here is much more peaceful, the occupation force is mainly sheep, lambs and dog walkers; the hill's occupants having  long ago forsaken their ancestral home for the bright lights of Dorchester town.

Roman Dorset

The Roman conquest of Dorset and the southwest was led by the future emperor, Vespasian, later responsible for the sack of Jerusalem. The locals stood little chance against the well organised legions. Evidence of battle, slingstones and mass graves (see here) were discovered at Maiden Castle on the outskirts of Dorchester in the 1940's.

Vespasian

Dorchester itself was originally the Roman town of Durnovaria and has proved rich in in artefacts, many of which can be found in the County Museum.

The remains of this centuries-long occupation are surprisingly scant, though worth searching out. 

I suppose you could say Colosseums aren't legion in Dorset...

Roman Town House, Dorchester  This site is the best preserved example of a Roman town house in the country. 

A chance discovery in 1937 revealed a complex of eight buildings dating from the early 4th century AD. it was adorned with costly mosaics and painted plaster around 350ad. The Roman Town House can be seen in Colliton Park, in the grounds of County Hall, Dorchester. The site is open every day of the year. Admission is free.

Roman Road, Puddletown Forest  Only recently rediscovered, it was originally part of a road that ran from Exeter to London. Remains run for half a mile and take the form of a high bank more than 15ft high with ditches either side.

Roman aqueduct  The aqueduct ran for about twelve miles from Notton to Dorchester places where it was cut into the hillside can still be seen. Originally about 5 ft wide and 3 ft deep and delivering 8 million gallons a day.

Ackling Dyke Roman Road  The route of the road runs for 22 miles arrow straight from the outskirts of Salisbury to the hill fort of Badbury Rings cutting through any pre Roman monuments which happens to be in its way. The route can be easily followed as it is a right of way much of it takes the form of a raised bank or agger for drainage and to create a statement of Roman might to the newly vanquished Britons.

Roman Temple, Maiden Castle Dorchester  Constructed about 400AD similar in plan to Jordan Hill and as beautifully situated within the ramparts of the hillfort of Maiden castle the site of a resounding Roman victory over the Britons and looking across the fields to the Roman town of Dorchester.

Maumbury Rings  Originally a Neolithic henge this large circular earthwork 85ft in diameter was adapted by the Romans to serve as a amphitheatre and in the 17thcentury as a place of execution.

Maumbury Rings

Late Roman Temple, Jordan Hill, Weymouth  Only the foundations are visible of this 4-5th century square columned temple various ritual foundation deposits were discovered as well as the remains of hundred burials in the area surrounding it. It is an atmospheric site with fine panoramic views

Dorset Museums 6- Dorchester County Museum

Hot on the heels of my Viking piece here's some telling evidence from the Dorset County Museum showing that Dorset men didn't always get the best of a fight.
Two thousand years ago at Maiden Castle, a fortified hill on the outskirts of Dorchester, the locals faced a load of Italian Johnnies in a no-holds barred battle between two civilisations. Iron age man faced the might and technological superiority of the Roman Empire, armed with little more than slingstones taken from nearby Chesil Beach. 
The outcome changed the course of British history.

The skeleton belongs to one of those Iron Age defenders who was struck down by a bolt from a ballista (a powerful floor-standing crossbow). When Maiden Castle finally fell to the victorious Romans, the unfortunate victim was hastily bundled into a mass grave; the ballista bolt, which would have killed him instantly, still embedded in his vertebra.

Dorset Museums-Dorchester County Museum 1

Hot on the heels of my Viking piece here's a telling bit of evidence from the County museum that shows that Dorsetshire men didn't always get the best of a fight. 
Two thousand years ago at Maiden Castle, a fortified hill top near Dorchester, the locals faced a load of Italian Johnnies in a battle between two civilisations. 

Iron Age man was eventually overwhelmed by the might and technological superiority of the Roman Empire, armed mainly with slingstones taken from nearby Chesil Beach. 

The outcome of the conflict helped change the course of British history forever.
The skeleton pictured is shows one of the Iron Age defenders who was struck down by a bolt from a Roman ballista (a powerful floor standing crossbow). When the fort fell to the Romans, the unfortunate victim was hastily bundled into pit the ballista bolt that would have instantly killed him still embedded in his vertebra .

Alien Xtra

After uncovering the big hairy men of Dorset in my Woodwoser piece I thought I'd search for some little green ones. It seems even Dorset is under surveillance from those pesky critters.
The fuzzy picture above, obviously taken though a pair of underpants, shows a recent UFO hovering over Bournemouth. The professional photographer described it as orange-red in colour and looking like Thunderbird 3. It was reported in that specialist magazine, The Sun.
As for landings, Maiden Castle has seen its fair share of crop circles appearing in surrounding fields; that is until disgruntled farmers adopted a more robust approach convincing the Green Ones to park elsewhere.
This otherworldly activity caused enough of a stir for specialists to convene an 'Unexplained Mysteries' conference  in Dorchester featuring a 'modern day Indiana Jones' who'd, 'been to Egypt', under the heading 'the truth is not out there, it's in Dorchester'...
Not to be trumped, I think I to may have discovered my own evidence of nocturnal extra-terrestrial activity as this clipping from a local paper shows.