Combs Ditch facts for kids

Combs Ditch is a very old and long earthwork in Dorset, England. An earthwork is like a big ditch and bank built into the ground. Combs Ditch is found on a place called Charlton Down. It was once about 6.4 kilometers (4 miles) long, but today you can only see about 4.4 kilometers (2.7 miles) of it. Sometimes, people spell its name as Comb's Ditch.

What is Combs Ditch?

Combs Ditch is a special kind of ancient monument called a linear earthwork. This means it's a long, straight line of earth that people shaped a very long time ago. It has a raised part, called a bank, and a sunken part next to it, called a ditch. The ditch is always on the north-east side of the bank.

Where is Combs Ditch Located?

This ancient earthwork is in the county of Dorset in England. It runs through the countryside and acts as a natural border for several local areas called parishes. For example, the parishes of Charlton Marshall and Spetisbury are on one side of Combs Ditch. On the other side are Winterborne Whitechurch, Winterborne Kingston, and Anderson.

Combs Ditch is also located north of an old Roman road. This Roman road used to connect two important Roman sites: Badbury Ring and Dorchester. However, there is no sign that Combs Ditch ever crossed this Roman road.

How Big is Combs Ditch?

The bank of Combs Ditch is quite wide, ranging from about 5.4 meters (17.7 feet) to 8.5 meters (27.9 feet) across. At its highest point, the bank can be up to 2.2 meters (7.2 feet) tall. The ditch next to the bank is also wide, varying from 4.8 meters (15.7 feet) to 8.5 meters (27.9 feet) across. Imagine a ditch and bank that are wider than a car!

What Have We Learned from Digging?

Archaeologists, who are like history detectives, have done some digging at Combs Ditch. During these excavations, they found pieces of Roman pottery from the third or fourth century AD. These pieces were found on the old ground level, or "turf line," behind the bank. This suggests the pottery was left there before the earthwork was rebuilt or changed.

The digging also showed that Combs Ditch might have started as a simple boundary ditch during the Iron Age. The Iron Age was a time in history before the Romans arrived in Britain. Later, in the late Roman period or just after the Romans left, this simple ditch was made much bigger. It was turned into a stronger, more defensive earthwork. This is similar to another large earthwork nearby called Bokerley Dyke, which also changed over time.