Richborough Excavations 2008

Richborough was probably the site of the first landing of Roman troops during the invasion campaign of the emperor Claudius in AD 43. From the earliest years of the Roman province it was a major port and the site of the formal entry to Roman Britain, marked by a huge triumphal arch within the Roman town. The low flat land around the north and east sides of the fort was an inlet of the sea, the Wantsum Channel, during the Roman period.

During the late-third century the arch was fortified, and then in the fourth century it was demolished and the walls now visible were built; the walls of a great fort, which was one of the string of coastal fortifications known as the Saxon Shore. Since Roman times the east wall of the fort has collapsed, and seems to have slid down the bank towards the line of the modern railway.  

One of the most important questions about Richborough is where exactly the coast was in Roman times, before the Wantsum Channel became silted. 

Archaeological excavations by English Heritage’s Archaeological Projects Team during September 2008 are intended to examine the area between the fort and the railway in order to find out whether the coast was this close to the site of the fort, whether walls visible in the area relate to port installations, and why and how the east wall collapsed.