Beyond ‘the Castle’ Understanding the Durotriges
Authors: Russell, M., Cheetham, P.
Conference: Maiden Castle 40 years on
Dates: 01/11/2025
Publication Date: 01/11/2025
Abstract:Fieldwork conducted across Dorset over the past 40 years has demonstrated that the wealth of settlements, artefacts and wider forms of ritualised activity (including animal and human sacrifice) located within the area ascribed to the Durotriges (of Dorset, south Wiltshire and south east Somerset) is different to that regularly appearing in popular and mainstream academic accounts of the region. This paper will present the still developing picture of Iron Age life in Dorset, to ask what happened when the social systems that brought hillforts into being died out and whether the Durotriges themselves can be identified archaeologically (with a distinctive and unique cultural footprint) or whether they are simply a piece of modern fantasy fiction.
Source: Manual