England
Dorset

Prehistoric Sites

Badbury Rings
One mile from Shapwick, off the B3082 between Wimborne Minster and Blandford Forum.
Contained within the considerable estates of Kingston Lacy House is this Iron Age hillfort, surrounded by three concentric ditches and ramparts. It has been conjectured that Badbury is the site of Mons Badonicus (Mount Badon) - the great battle at which King Arthur defeated the advancing Germanic tribes of Angles, Saxons, and Jutes in the late 5th or early 6th century. More about Badbury Rings >>

Cerne Abbas Giant
At Cerne Abbas, near Dorchester
The striking giant of Cerne Abbas is a 180 foot high figure of a man bearing a 121 foot long club, incised into the chalk of the hillside. It has been speculated that the giant may have carried a cloak over his left arm and gripped a severed head in his left hand. If that is so, no evidence of either head or cloak now remains. More about the Cerne Abbas Giant >>

Maiden Castle
1 m SW Dorchester, Dorset, off A354
Maiden Castle is the largest and most famous pre-Roman fortress in Britain. The site is not a "castle" in the medieval sense of the term, but a hilltop enclosure defended by high banks and ditches. Maiden Castle is nearly 47 acres in size, with banks as high as 80 feet. The term "maiden" may be misleading; it derives from the pre-Celtic (Brythonic) term "mai dun", which is usually translated as "great hill", but may also be rendered as "principle fort". In 43 AD the Romans under Vespasian besieged the "castle" and defeated the Celtic Durotriges defenders in a fierce battle. More about Maiden Castle >>