Offa’s dyke is a massive linear earthwork, roughly following some of the current border between England and Wales. It runs south from the Irish sea, near Prestatyn, to the Bristol Channel at Chepstow. It was built by Offa, the ruler of Mercia, in order to protect the western boundary of his kingdom against the Welsh. In places, it is up to 20m wide and 2.5m high. In the 8th century it formed some kind of delineation between the Anglian kingdom of Mercia and the Welsh kingdom of Powys.
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Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Offa’s Dyke built". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 01 May 2009 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=6872, accessed 23 November 2024.]
