David Johnston Lecture 2026 - Fraught with high tragedy: new insights on the Maiden Castle Iron Age
Hampshire Record Office Cinema, Winchester, SO23 8TH
Wednesday 22nd April 2026
Evening lecture by Dr. Martin Smith (Bournemouth)
The Iron Age ‘war cemetery’ at Maiden Castle hillfort, Dorset, is one of the most famous and internationally celebrated British archaeological discoveries of the 20th century. When the site was excavated in the 1930s the finding of numerous human burials with severe injuries led the site director, Sir Mortimer Wheeler, to conclude that these must be the victims of a Roman assault on the hillfort and subsequent massacre of the population. Over 80 years on from Wheeler’s publication this view has come to be questioned, but alternative theories lacked concrete evidence until now.
Martin’s talk presents new work by archaeologists from Bournemouth University, that has used radiocarbon dating to arrive at new conclusions regarding the dead of Maiden Castle and why they were laid to rest within the ramparts of this iconic site.
The Iron Age ‘war cemetery’ at Maiden Castle hillfort, Dorset, is one of the most famous and internationally celebrated British archaeological discoveries of the 20th century. When the site was excavated in the 1930s the finding of numerous human burials with severe injuries led the site director, Sir Mortimer Wheeler, to conclude that these must be the victims of a Roman assault on the hillfort and subsequent massacre of the population. Over 80 years on from Wheeler’s publication this view has come to be questioned, but alternative theories lacked concrete evidence until now.
Martin’s talk presents new work by archaeologists from Bournemouth University, that has used radiocarbon dating to arrive at new conclusions regarding the dead of Maiden Castle and why they were laid to rest within the ramparts of this iconic site.
