Maiden Castle is an Iron Age hill fort 1.6 miles south west of Dorchester, in the English county of Dorset. Hill forts were fortified hill-top settlements constructed across Britain during the Iron Age.

Why is Maiden Castle called a castle?

Maiden Castle | South West | Castles, Forts and Battles. Maiden Castle, the name deriving from the Celtic word 'Mai Dun' meaning 'Great Hill', was built around 3000 BC. ... The castle was taken, the earthworks slighted and the populace forcibly relocated to modern day Dorchester.

What is Maiden Castle in Dorset an example of?

Maiden Castle in Dorset is one of the largest and most complex Iron Age hillforts in Europe - the size of 50 football pitches. Its huge multiple ramparts, mostly built in the 1st century BC, once protected hundreds of residents.