Branodunum

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Branodunum was a Roman fort to the British " Saxon Shore " at today's Brancaster in North Norfolk, England. The name of the first time in 1846 examined the fort derives from the Celtic and means " fortress of Bran ."

Location

The site is located east of the present village of Brancaster on the road A419 and is under the protection of the National Trust. The site is accessible to visitors and freely accessible via the Norfolk Coastal Walk. The fort was in ancient times still near the north coast of Brancaster Bay on the east bank of the wash. Back then handed the sea o until immediately before the North Wall and the fort also had a protected natural harbor. Since ancient times, the coastline, however, has changed drastically. The former harbor is silted up today and you can only guess about where I might be. Only a slight elevation in the landscape, the already highly weathered artificially raised platform on which stood the fortifications are still visible from the castle. The remains of Vicus and harbor were destroyed during the construction of apartment buildings in the 1970s, almost entirely.

Fort

The stone fort was built around 230 AD, and later part of the fortress of the British chain litus saxonicum. Built of locally derived sandstone walls, which encompassed an area of ​​about 2.56 ha were obtained until the 17th century even up to a height of four meters, but were then completely removed by stone robbery. The interior of the camp was indeed overbuilt never been modern, but the west side and the Zivilvicus were completely destroyed in the 1970s by residential buildings. The castle floor plan was square and had rounded corners ( game card form). It was 2.9 m wide with walls inside an attached tower at the NO- corner, probably four goals and an interior earth ramp that propped up the wall and served as a rampart walk. Two gates, the east and west gate could be detected archaeologically. They were each provided with two slightly protruding edge towers. Between the towers could not be found. Inside was found in exploratory excavations the remains of some buildings, including the building of the command, the Principia. Only a shallow V-shaped moat surrounding the castle.

Garrison

A brick temple Fund suggests that the original crew of soldiers cohors I Aquitanorum (originally recruited in Gaul ) was composed. According to the Notitia Dignitatum served at the time of late antiquity in Branoduno an equestrian unit, the equites Dalmatarum Branodunensium (Dalmatian cavalry), commanded by a Praepositus who stood by Britanniam under the supreme command of the Comes Litoris Saxonici. The Roman army used the port probably also as a base for their channel fleet, the Classis Britannica, but probably primarily for loading and shipment of amber and other cargo such as grain and oysters. Grave finds indicate the presence of Saxon warriors after withdrawal of the Romans from the fort.

Vicus

Against the north east gate of the fort and a greater civilian vicus could be detected from the 2nd century AD. The streets of the village are in stock but strangely not geared towards the castle. This led to the assumption that the axes coastal fort of the 3rd century an earlier wood and earth fort from the time of the revolt of the Iceni Queen Boudicca replaced with AD in the early 60s of the 1st century. The only Latin inscription which was discovered in Brancaster is the one to be ordained altar, dedicated to the god Hercules.