Maumbury Rings

Maumbury Rings is a Neolithic henge in the south of Dorchester town in Dorset, England [1]. It is a large circular earthwork, 85 metres in diameter, with a single bank and an entrance to the north east [1]. Maumbury Rings were excavated by Harold St George Gray from 1908–1913 [1]. The excavations showed that the site originated in the later Neolithic period [1]. The excavations revealed an internal ditch which comprised a series of deep shafts cut into the chalk [1]. These number up to 45, and were up to 11 metres deep [1]. Maumbury Rings was remodelled in the Roman period when it was adapted for use as an amphitheatre for the use of the citizens of the nearby Roman town of Durnovaria (Dorchester) [1]. The site was used as an artillery fort by Parliament supporters in order to guard the southern approach to Dorchester [1].