176 EGGARDON HILL! ITS CAMP AND ITS GEOLOGY. 



depressions still remaining which probably formed the bases of 

 their dwelling-places, and which deserve the careful examination 

 of a competent explorer. What will probably not be found here 

 is any trace of Roman occupation. The Romans pacified the 

 country, put a stop to this perpetual internecine warfare, as we 

 have done in India, and these camps of refuge were no longer 

 needed. Of this we have an interesting proof in the fact that 

 the Roman road which runs west from Dorchester and passes 

 through Bridport comes tolerably near to this camp on Eggardon, 

 but does not come to it, leaves it instead contemptuously on one 

 side as a place of no importance. Herein lies the human 

 interest connected with these ancient ramparts and the old road. 

 They tell of a state of things existing before the advent of the 

 Roman power, and of the civilisation introduced by those whose 

 mission it was "to spare the conquered and war down the 

 proud." These mounds of earth, and yonder road leaving them 

 on one side, tell what a blessing to Britain was the Roman 

 conquest. 



Your attention will be called to an interesting octagonal shape 

 marked out within the camp by ridges of earth some two or 

 three feet high. It is difficult to conjecture the purpose of this 

 octagon ; probably it is of very much later date than the structure 

 of the camp. There are also two large depressions near the 

 east entrance to the camp ; they may be simply the hollows out 

 of which chalk was dug to form the defences of this entrance, 

 but they, too, deserve the attention of the explorer's spade. 



Turning to the geology of the hill, we observe that we are 

 now on the western edge of the chalk plateau which extends 

 eastwards with more or less interruption to the cliffs of Kent, 

 but which, to the west, is found again only in a few outliers, 

 such as the cliff at Beer Head. Immediately below the chalk is 

 the greensand, which also belongs to the Cretaceous Series of 

 Rocks, and this greensand may be seen from here forming the 

 summit of most of the higher hills within sight. Let me again 

 refer you to Vol. XVIII. of the Proceedings of the Club, where 

 on p. 174, sqq., you will find a paper written by Mr. Jukes^ 



