Battlefields›Roman Assault on Hod Hill 44 AD
Roman Period

Roman Assault on Hod Hill 44 AD

44
Dorset, England
Also known as: Vespasian at Hod Hill · Hod Hill siege 44 AD
Era
Roman Period
Battle Type
Siege
Location
Dorset, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Durotriges
Forces
Durotriges: c. 300–600 defenders.
VS
Victor
Rome (Vespasian)
Forces
Rome (Vespasian): c. 1,200–2,000 troops
Outcome
Hillfort targeted with artillery concentrated on chieftain hut; defenders submitted; Roman auxiliary fort built inside the hillfort
The Battle

History & Significance

Hod Hill is unique in having a Roman auxiliary fort built inside an Iron Age hillfort after the Roman assault, with ballista bolt concentrations showing the Roman tactic of targeting the tribal leader directly.

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

Protected heritage nearby

Scheduled Monuments near Roman Assault on Hod Hill 44 AD

Bowl barrow 350m south of Gorcombe Farm
Scheduled monument · ~3.5 miles
Bowl barrow 650m south west of Gorcombe Farm
Scheduled monument · ~3.6 miles
Bowl barrow 500m south west of Gorcombe Farm
Scheduled monument · ~3.6 miles
Tarrant Abbey, site of, and tithe barn at Abbey Farm
Scheduled monument · ~4 miles
Bowl barrow 150m north east of Dunbury
Scheduled monument · ~4.2 miles
More from this era

Other Roman Period Battles

Battle of the Medway
43
Kent, England
Assault on Hod Hill
43
Dorset, England
Caesar's Second Invasion — Thames Crossing and Cassivellaunus Stronghold (54 BC)
-54
Essex, England
Caesar Second Invasion — Kent Resistance 54 BC
-54
Kent, England
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
All Battlefields