Prehistoric Activity and a Romano-British Settlement at Poundbury Farm, Dorchester, Dorset

By Kirsten Egging Dinwiddy and Philippa Bradley

ISBN: 978-1-874350-56-9

Archaeological survey and excavation in and around Poundbury Farm, Dorchester has revealed a multi-period landscape with evidence spanning the Neolithic through to the Romano-British period.

A number of pits contained axe manufacturing debris, early Neolithic pottery and environmental remains, including one with an extensive dump of charred grain.

A ring-ditch of probable Early Bronze Age date was recorded, although there was limited evidence for contemporary occupation. Middle and Late Bronze Age field systems, pits, roundhouses, and cremation burials were identified. In keeping with other sites in the area, Iron Age activity was very limited.

In the early Romano-British period a farmstead was established, comprising enclosures, stone-built structures, grain driers, ovens and other features. Early Romano-British Durotrigian graves, as well as middle and late Romano-British graves, were associated with the settlement. One individual was buried in a stone coffin, and there was a single late Romano-British cremation burial.

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