BattlefieldsRoman Assault on Pilsdon Pen Hillfort 44-45 AD
Roman Period

Roman Assault on Pilsdon Pen Hillfort 44-45 AD

44–45
Dorset, England
Also known as: Vespasian at Pilsdon Pen · West Dorset conquest
Era
Roman Period
Battle Type
Siege
Location
Dorset, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Durotriges
Forces
Durotriges: c. 250–500 defenders.
VS
Victor
Rome (Legio II Augusta)
Forces
Rome (Legio II): c. 1,000–1,800 troops
Outcome
Hillfort captured; highest point in Dorset secured
The Battle

History & Significance

Pilsdon Pen is the highest point in Dorset at 277 metres and hosted one of the most defensible hillforts in the southwest. Excavations have revealed evidence of late Iron Age occupation. Its capture by Vespasian secured the western approach to Dorset and the routes into Devon and the Dumnonii territory beyond.

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

Aubrey Research

Explore the landscape around Dorset

Aubrey generates in-depth historical research for any location in Britain — drawing on Domesday records, scheduled monuments, Victorian OS maps, geological data and archaeological archives to tell the full story of a place.

Research a location near Dorset