Fun Facts Friday | Posted on February 12th, 2021 | return to news
5 fun facts about Dorset’s ancient history
Dorset has been inhabited for thousands of years. Many sites dotted around the county bear testimony to its rich and varied history.
Five fun facts about Dorset’s ancient history:
1
There are four stone circles still standing in Dorset – Kingston Russell Stone Circle, Rempstone Stone Circle, The Nine Stones and Hampton Stone Circle. They are dated as megalithic constructions from the Bronze Age.
2
Poole is the site of one of the oldest constructed ports in north west Europe. Timbers discovered by the Poole Harbour Heritage Project were the remains of two harbour piers which, have been carbon dated back to the Iron Age, circa 300 BC.
3
Maiden Castle, near Dorchester, is one of the largest and most complex Iron Age hill forts in Europe. Mostly built in the first century AD, it is the size of approximately 50 football pitches.
4
Aside from Maiden Castle, Dorset has more notable hill forts, including Badbury Rings, Hambledon Hill, Hod Hill, Pilsden Pen, Eggardon Hill and Lewesdon Hill.
5
Knowlton Church, whose ruins can be seen from the Cranborne Road, is unusual in that it was built in the centre of a Neolithic ritual henge earthwork, showing the transition from pagan to Christian worship.
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