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Chieftans to Senators - Iron Age Roman Dorchester
From £125
Summary
Based in and around Dorchester, this study day will visit a range of sites dating from the 4th millennium BC to the 4th century AD.
At Maiden Castle we will see the remains of the most impressive hillfort in southern Britain; built in the Iron Age on an earlier site which included a Neolithic causeway enclosure and associated funerary monuments including a rare survival of a ‘bank barrow’. The site also has the remains of a late Roman Temple within the ramparts.
At Maumbury Ring we shall see a Neolithic ‘henge’ monument which was converted into an earthen amphitheatre by the Romans in the 1st century AD; was later incorporated into the defences of Dorchester during the English Civil War and finally used as a place of public execution.
After a walk following part of the defences of Roman Dorchester we shall visit Colliton Park. Here we can see one of the best preserved late Roman town houses, with mosaics still visible in Roman Britain.
We conclude the day at Dorchester County Museum Stores which house artefacts from all of the sites visited.
Please note the museum is due to have a major refurbishment so we will go to the stores instead.
Keeping you safe on your next tour
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FREE 'Travel Safe' kits for every traveller
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COVID-19 insurance
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Self-drive options
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Enhanced Health and Safety audits
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Distanced seating on coaches
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'Get me home' service and private airport transfers
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COVID protocols at our hotels, and aboard our cruise ships
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Packed lunches and flexible dining options
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Flexible balance payment date and COVID-friendly refund conditions
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COVID-testing and medical training for tour staff
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Constant monitoring and post-tour tracing
Meet your Experts
Mark Corney
Guide Lecturer
Mark Corney is an Archaeologist, broadcaster and former Senior Landscape Investigator with the Royal Commission for Historic Monuments of England.
Your itinerary
Study Day -
Please note that start and finish times below are exact but other timings may vary slightly.
Morning: 9.30 am start
09.30 - Meet in Fairfield long stay car park. We then walk to Maumbury Ring to see the Neolithic henge.
10.15 - Coffee break.
10.45 - Taxi to Maiden Castle to visit the most impressive hillfort in southern Britain built in the Iron Age.
13.00 - A two course lunch.
Afternoon:
14.15 - Walk to Colliton Park Roman town house about a 10 minute walk following the part of the defences of Roman Dorchester.
15.00 - We visit Dorset County museum stores which houses artefacts not on show in the museum.
16:00 - Disperse
Tour dates & prices
| Tour Departure | Tour ID | Departure date | Guided by | Price | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 August 2021 | AXDC210820 | 20 August 2021 (Friday) | Mark Corney | £125 (ex. flights) |
Book Now |
| 19 August 2022 | AXDC220819 | 19 August 2022 (Friday) | Mark Corney | £130 (ex. flights) |
Book Now |
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