Monument record MDO18798 - Merchant's Garage, High West Street, Dorchester; Early Roman metalworking hearth 379

An early Roman hearth used for smelting was found during observations and recording at the site of the former Merchant’s Garage, High East Street, Dorchester in 1983 (1). The hearth was sealed beneath a later tessellated floor and was only recorded in section. It contained ash and burnt sand deposits and a number of fragments from an early Roman crucible, suggesting the hearth had been used for smelting. Unfortunately it was not possible to determine what sort of copper alloy was being melted.

A possible early Roman metalworking hearth was found during observations and recording at the site of the former Merchant’s Garage, High East Street, Dorchester in 1983 (1) (2). This feature was only seen in section in a foundation trench and was sealed beneath a later tessellated floor. It was 0.6m across and 0.2m deep with a flat bottom. It had a thin hard layer of grey ash at the base with laminae of chalk and charcoal flecks, with a layer of burnt reddish-brown coarse sand above. Several fragments of an early Roman crucible were found in this feature along with some lumps of burnt clay. This suggests that this feature was used for smelting. Unfortunately, it was not possible to determine precisely what sort of copper alloy was being melted.

Record last edited

Jun 30 2014 4:33PM