What happened at Hod Hill Artillery Bombardment?

Hod Hill Artillery Bombardment was a roman period engagement in England in 44.

What was the significance of Hod Hill Artillery Bombardment?

Hod Hill Artillery Bombardment was a notable engagement of the Roman Period period in British history.

Battlefields›Hod Hill Artillery Bombardment

Roman Period

Hod Hill Artillery Bombardment

Q: When did Hod Hill Artillery Bombardment take place?

Hod Hill Artillery Bombardment took place in 44, England. Traditional interpretation (from Ian Richmond's 1951-1958 excavations): a barrage of ballista bolts was concentrated on the chieftain's hut in the hillfort's south-east corner, the resident Durotrigian lord reportedly killed, and the hillfort taken, after which the Romans built a fort in its north-west corner garrisoned by a mixed legionary/auxiliary force for about 5-6 years before its abandonment c. AD 50. More recent scholarship (cited on Wikipedia) disputes the conquest narrative, arguing the hillfort had already been abandoned by its native occupants before the Roman army arrived, and that the ballista bolts more likely derive from later target practice by the Roman garrison rather than an assault. This is a genuine, unresolved scholarly disagreement rather than a fabricated event.

Q: Who won Hod Hill Artillery Bombardment?

Legio II Augusta (Rome, under Vespasian) was victorious. The defeated side was Durotriges. Traditional interpretation (from Ian Richmond's 1951-1958 excavations): a barrage of ballista bolts was concentrated on the chieftain's hut in the hillfort's south-east corner, the resident Durotrigian lord reportedly killed, and the hillfort taken, after which the Romans built a fort in its north-west corner garrisoned by a mixed legionary/auxiliary force for about 5-6 years before its abandonment c. AD 50. More recent scholarship (cited on Wikipedia) disputes the conquest narrative, arguing the hillfort had already been abandoned by its native occupants before the Roman army arrived, and that the ballista bolts more likely derive from later target practice by the Roman garrison rather than an assault. This is a genuine, unresolved scholarly disagreement rather than a fabricated event.

England

Era

Roman Period

Battle Type

Siege

Location

England

Status

Unregistered

The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated

Durotriges

Victor

Legio II Augusta (Rome, under Vespasian)

Outcome

Traditional interpretation (from Ian Richmond's 1951-1958 excavations): a barrage of ballista bolts was concentrated on the chieftain's hut in the hillfort's south-east corner, the resident Durotrigian lord reportedly killed, and the hillfort taken, after which the Romans built a fort in its north-west corner garrisoned by a mixed legionary/auxiliary force for about 5-6 years before its abandonment c. AD 50. More recent scholarship (cited on Wikipedia) disputes the conquest narrative, arguing the hillfort had already been abandoned by its native occupants before the Roman army arrived, and that the ballista bolts more likely derive from later target practice by the Roman garrison rather than an assault. This is a genuine, unresolved scholarly disagreement rather than a fabricated event.

The Battle

History & Significance

Hod Hill Artillery Bombardment was a siege of the Roman Period period, fought in England in 44. This engagement forms part of the broader pattern of conflict that shaped the political and military history of the UK during this era.

Confirmed battlefield location

Casualties & Losses

Traditional interpretation holds that the Durotrigian chieftain occupying the targeted hut was killed in the bombardment before he could take up his spear; no other casualty figures are recorded, and this specific death is disputed under the revised 'target practice' interpretation.

Forces Involved

The size of the opposing forces is not recorded in the surviving sources.

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

Unlimited access

Uncover the history of anywhere in the UK

Pick any location and Aubrey pulls together everything the record actually holds about it:

GeologyDomesday BookLocal findsScheduled monumentsRoman BritainBattlefieldsCivil WarLIDAR terrainLocal namesHistorical mapsLiteratureFull timeline

First month just £4.99, then £9.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your first month for £4.99

Protected heritage nearby

Scheduled Monuments near Hod Hill Artillery Bombardment

Bowl barrow 470m south east of Ashley Wood Golf Club House

Scheduled monument · ~3.5 miles

Round barrow in Buzbury Plantation

Scheduled monument · ~3.5 miles

Bowl barrow 350m south west of Buzbury Rings

Scheduled monument · ~3.6 miles

Causewayed enclosure and Iron Age defended settlement with outworks called Buzbury Rings

Scheduled monument · ~3.6 miles

Two bowl barrows in Ashley Wood 750m SSE of Buzbury Rings

Scheduled monument · ~4.1 miles

Other Roman Period Battles

Roman Assault on Maiden Castle 43 AD

Dorset, England

Roman Assault on Maiden Castle (East Gate)

England

Vespasian's assault on Calleva Atrebatum

Hampshire, England

Vespasian's Campaign against the Durotriges

Dorset, England

In the same landscape

Battles near Hod Hill Artillery Bombardment

Battle of Blandford

1781

~2.7 miles away

Possible Arthurian battle - Badbury Rings

500

~6.1 miles away

Roman Assault on Badbury Rings Hillfort

~6.3 miles away

Vespasian's Campaign against the Durotriges

~6.4 miles away

Aubrey Research

Explore the landscape around this battlefield

Aubrey generates in-depth historical research for any location in the UK — 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 this battlefield View a sample report

All Battlefields