Monument record MDO18560 - Alington Avenue Roman drier 3754

Evidence for a Roman drier was discovered during excavations at Alington Avenue. Drier [3754] was constructed within an earlier ditch or foundation trench [1905]. It was a small violin case-shaped hearth or drier, 0.8m long, up to 0.68m wide and 0.3-0.4m deep. The remnants of a stone lining of a stone lining comprised limestone blocks measuring 0.25 x 011m set on edge and bonded with puddled chalk and lay around the sides of the feature; most blocks being heavily burnt. The stoke hole lay at the north end. The basal fill, most notably at the north end, comprised dense charcoal spattered with fine chalk up to 0.7m thick. No carbonised grain was recovered. The date of construction and use rely on a single 3rd century sherd, and the stratigraphic relationship to trench [1905]. It could date to any time between AD 200 and the end of the Roman period or later.

Found during a series of archaeological evaluations and excavations conducted by Wessex Archaeology at Alington Avenue, Fordington, Dorchester, between 1984-1987. The results of the excavations have been published as a Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society Monograph (DNHAS Monograph 15). The numbers in square brackets below refer to the context and feature numbers used in the published reports (1). Seven ovens and driers were found, one [070] during the 1984 evaluation, three within the D-shaped enclosure or its extensions, and four outside its boundaries, including one described within building [1737]. Most of these structures (except [4250] which was cut by a late Roman grave) have been dated to the late Roman period, although the dating evidence has largely come from layers relating to backfill and disuse. Drier [3754] was constructed within an earlier ditch or foundation trench [1905]. It was a small violin case-shaped hearth or drier, 0.8m long, up to 0.68m wide and 0.3-0.4m deep. The remnants of a stone lining of a stone lining comprised limestone blocks measuring 0.25 x 011m set on edge and bonded with puddled chalk and lay around the sides of the feature; most blocks being heavily burnt. The stoke hole lay at the north end. The basal fill, most notably at the north end, comprised dense charcoal spattered with fine chalk up to 0.7m thick. No carbonised grain was recovered. The date of construction and use rely on a single 3rd century sherd, and the stratigraphic relationship to trench [1905]. It could date to any time between AD 200 and the end of the Roman period or later.

Record last edited

Dec 12 2018 5:45PM