Lexden Dyke Middle is a section of the extensive linear earthwork system that defined the western approaches to Camulodunum, the late Iron Age oppidum of the Trinovantes and Catuvellauni and subsequently the Roman colonia of Camulodunum (modern Colchester). The dyke forms part of a complex of parallel north–south ramparts and ditches constructed primarily in the late 1st century BC and early 1st century AD under rulers such as Addedomaros, Tasciovanus, and Cunobelin, with some sections refurbished or extended in the immediate post-conquest period after AD 43.
Source: Pleiades — A Community-Built Gazetteer and Graph of Ancient Places. View the Pleiades record →
The Lexden dykes are among the largest pre-Roman earthworks in Britain, enclosing some 30 square kilometres and demarcating the territory of one of the most powerful native polities in southern Britain — the political and economic centre that Claudius targeted in AD 43 and that briefly served as the first Roman provincial capital. The Middle dyke, together with the Triple Dyke and Lexden Dyke proper, controlled movement along the natural ridgeway corridor between the Colne and Roman River valleys.
The Lexden dyke complex has been investigated piecemeal since the 19th century and more systematically by Hawkes and Crummy, with sections showing V-profile ditches and rear banks of dump construction; the nearby Lexden Tumulus (exc
Lexden Dyke Middle is a section of the extensive linear earthwork system that defined the western approaches to Camulodunum, the late Iron Age oppidum of the Trinovantes and Catuvellauni and subsequently the Roman colonia of Camulodunum (modern Colchester). It is recorded in the Pleiades gazetteer of ancient places as a settlement site from the Roman period in Britain.
Lexden Dyke Middle: part of the Iron Age territorial oppidum and Romano-British town of Camulodunum is classified as a Roman settlement — a civilian site in the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer. Roman Britain's archaeology encompasses thousands of sites ranging from legionary fortresses and marching camps to villas, temples and towns.
Several Roman sites lie within a short distance, including Lexden Dyke at Spring Meadow: part of the Iron Age territorial oppidum and Romano-British town of Camulodunum (0.5 km), Roman barrow known as Lexden Mount: part of the Iron Age territorial oppidum and Roman town of Camulodunum (0.5 km), The Triple Dyke: part of the Iron Age territorial oppidum and Romano-British town of Camulodunum (0.9 km). Aubrey Research maps over 2,200 Roman sites across Britain, drawn from the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer.
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Research the area around Lexden Dyke Middle: part of the Iron Age territorial oppidum and Romano-British town of Camulodunum