The Search for the Durotriges: Dorset and the West Country in the Late Iron Age

The tribe of the Durotriges was listed by the Greek geographer Ptolemy in the second century AD. Traditionally it has been believed that the Durotrigans formed an Iron Age tribe whose territory included Dorset and parts of neighbouring Somerset, Wiltshire and Hampshire. Their hillforts are amongst the largest and most striking earthwork fortresses in Britain. In AD 43-44, these hillforts - sites such as Maiden Castle, Hod Hill and South Cadbury - bore witness to one of the pivotal events of British history, when the Romans fought in a bloody campaign against the Durotrigan people to claim the Battle for Britain. In this engaging and fully illustrated new book, Martin Papworth brings together fresh evidence to suggest that the Durotrigan nation was made up not of a unified state but, rather, of fiercely independent baronies. Here, for the first time, the evidence for the Durotriges is made accessible to both archaeologists and those who simply have an interest in the British Iron Age, the Romans or the history of this area. AUTHOR: Martin Papworth is the Archaeologist for the National Trust, advising on the conservation of sites in Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire within their South West Region.