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What is Maiden Castle?

Maiden Castle is one of the largest Iron Age hill forts in Britain. It is in Dorset in the south of England. Experts think it was built almost 3,000 years ago.

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An aerial view reconstruction drawing of Maiden Castle in the Iron Age.Image source, 漏 Historic England (illustration by Paul Birbeck)
Image caption,
An aerial view reconstruction drawing of Maiden Castle in the Iron Age.
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Why did people build Maiden Castle?

  • The fort is on top of a large hill which is 914 metres long. That's about as long as 10 football pitches.
  • In the Iron Age, hundreds of people lived there.
  • They built the fort to protect themselves. They could see attackers better from high up.
An aerial photograph of Maiden Castle.Image source, 漏 Historic England
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An aerial photograph of Maiden Castle.
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How was Maiden Castle built?

Neolithic (early Stone Age) people made circular ditches in the land. They used the space in the middle to hold feasts and make flint axes.

A reconstruction drawing showing people digging ditches at Maiden Castle in the early Neolithic period.Image source, 漏 Historic England (Illustration by Miranda Schofield)
Image caption,
A reconstruction drawing showing people digging ditches at Maiden Castle in the early Neolithic period.

The Iron Age people built the hill fort on top of the earlier Neolithic ditches. They made the entrances more complicated so it was harder to get into the hill fort. This also made the hill fort look impressive to other people.

A reconstruction drawing of the western entrances to Maiden Castle during the Iron Age.Image source, 漏 Historic England (illustration by Peter Urmston)
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A reconstruction drawing of the western entrances to Maiden Castle during the Iron Age.
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What was life like at Maiden Castle?

People lived in roundhouses in Maiden Castle. These had thatched roofs. Inside each roundhouse, there was a hearth in the centre where people could light fires. They also had large pits for storing grain. Later on roadways were built in between houses.

A reconstruction drawing of the interior of a roundhouse at Maiden Castle in the Iron Age, showing family life.Image source, 漏 Historic England (illustration by Paul Birkbeck)
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A reconstruction drawing of the interior of a roundhouse at Maiden Castle in the Iron Age, showing family life.
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What has been found at Maiden Castle?

  • Most of the bank and ditches that you can see today were made in the 1st century BC, over 2000 years ago.
  • Over 20,000 sling stones have been found near an entrance.
  • People stored them in large pits ready to be thrown at attackers.
  • Most of the pottery used by people at Maiden Castle was made near Poole Harbour on the south coast, which is more than 56 km (35 miles) away.
  • This could mean that people bought and sold things outside of their local area.
A black and white photograph of Iron Age pebbles stored in a pit near the entrance to Maiden Castle.Image source, 漏 The Society of Antiquaries
Image caption,
Pebbles stored in a pit near the entrance to Maiden Castle, ready to be used as sling stones against enemy attacks.
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Activity: Maiden Castle quiz

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