- Maiden Castle is an Iron Age Hill Fort and a Scheduled Ancient Monument maintained by English Heritage.
- It is considered to be the largest Hill Fort in Europe and is located 1.5 miles (2.6km) southwest of Dorchester in Dorset.
History
- A Neolithic Causewayed Enclosure was the first structure on the Site, dating from c. 4,000 BCE.
- Around c. 3,350 BCE, a long 1,790 feet (500m) Bank Barrow with parallel ditches was built inside the Enclosure.
- The Hill Fort was built in c.600 BCE, and by 450 BCE it had been expanded to become the largest Hill Fort in Europe, surrounded by a triple Ditch defensive system.
Other Hillforts
- Whitehawk Camp (3,700-2,700 BCE)
- Whitehawk Camp is a Scheduled Monument which holds the remains of a Neolithic Causewayed Enclosure and is located on Whitehawk Hill next to Brighton Racecourse in Brighton.
- Cissbury Ring (c. 400 BCE)
- The second largest Hillfort in Europe was Cissbury Ring, located near Worthing in West Sussex. It holds a Neolithic Flint Mine.
Maiden Castle, near Dorchester