SDO9610 - Maumbury Rings, Dorchester, Dorset: Archaeological Impact Assessment of Proposed Opera Production

A desk-based assessment of the likely depth and importance of surviving archaeological deposits at This project was commissioned by Court Opera Productions, as part of the application for Scheduled Monument Consent for the staging of two performances of Verdi's Aida on 1-2 July 2000. This assessment of the archaeological impact of the works associated with the performances was requested by English Heritage. Maumbury Rings (Scheduled Ancient Monument Dorset 41) is a Neolithic henge monument, reworked into a Roman amphitheatre and later adapted as a 'fort' during the English Civil War (Bradley 1976). It lies on the east side of Weymouth Avenue in the southern part of Dorchester (NGR SY 691899). It is bounded by Weymouth Avenue to the west, Maumbury Road to the south, Dorchester Police Station to the north and the railway line to the east.