Monument record MDO18052 - Maiden Castle Road grave 02389

A 4th century AD grave oriented N-S, within the Maiden Castle Road Roman cemetery. It contained an extended adult male inhumation, with the head to the north. No grave goods, but a Hod Hill type brooch and two perforated bone objects were recovered from the grave fill.

Found during the excavations to the north of Maiden Castle Road undertaken by Wessex Archaeology in 1987 in advance of the Dorchester By-pass construction. The following description is abstracted from the final published report on the site (1). The numbers in square brackets refer to context numbers quoted in the report.

Rectangular grave cut [02389] was aligned N-S close to the northern boundary of the cemetery, between grave [02350] and [02217]. It cut the fill of quarry pit [02390]. It contained an adult male extended inhumation, with head to north. No certain grave goods were recovered, but a 1st century AD copper alloy Hod Hill type brooch and two pierced bone objects were recovered from the grave fill. These objects may have been accidentally incorporated into the grave.

No dating evidence was recovered from this grave, which has been dated to the 4th century AD on the basis of its association with other burials of this date within the cemetery.

National Record of the Historic Environment, 983909 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Wessex Archaeology, 1987, Dorchester By-pass (Excavation archive). SDO9385.

Woodward, P J and Smith, R J C, 1987, Survey and excavation along the route of the Southern Dorchester By-pass, 1986-1987 – an interim note, 79-89 (Article in serial). SDO9381.

<1> Smith, R J C et al, 1997, Excavations along the Route of the Dorchester By-pass, Dorset, 1986-8, 56-70 (Monograph). SDO9379.

Record last edited

Dec 6 2023 8:15PM