The Durotriges

Communities in the south-west

The Durotriges are associated with much of modern Dorset and parts of southern Wiltshire and south-east Somerset. Archaeologists investigate their settlements, pottery, coinage and burial practices to understand local society before and after Roman conquest. A familiar tribal name is a starting point, not a complete account of how people organised themselves.

Life outside the hillforts

Excavations near Winterborne Kingston have revealed a substantial late Iron Age settlement, nicknamed Duropolis by modern archaeologists. Roundhouses, storage and farming evidence make it possible to study a living community rather than beginning every account with a siege. Duropolis is a modern name, not a surviving ancient inscription naming the place.

Rethinking the conquest

Bournemouth University’s research questions the familiar story that Roman conquest immediately destroyed Durotrigian identity. Work on Maiden Castle also challenges the confident reconstruction of a single Roman siege from the burials discovered there. The relationship between a find and a named historical event must be demonstrated.

Continuity and change

Follow the evidence for buildings, objects and burial over time. Some practices changed while others continued, and different places need not have experienced the arrival of Rome in the same way. This approach gives families, farming and local traditions a place alongside military history.