Branodunum

Branodunum was an ancient Roman fort to the east of the modern English village of Brancaster in Norfolk [1]. The fort, built in the 230s, became later part of the eleven forts along the south and east coasts of England [1]. It was built to guard the Wash approaches and is of a typical rectangular castrum layout [1]. According to the 4th-century document Notitia Dignitatum, the fort was garrisoned by the Equites Dalmatae Brandodunenses, although a tile found on the site stamped Cohors I Aquitanorum suggests that its original garrison was the "First cohort from Aquitania" [1]. There is possible evidence of later Anglo-Saxon use of the site [1]. In Roman times, the fort's northern wall lay directly on the seashore, which served as a harbour [1]. Since then, the shoreline has accreted, and the fort now lies inland of salt marshes [1]. The fort was of a rectangular shape with rounded corners, with a 10 ft wide wall with internal turrets at the corners and backed by an earthen rampart, which increased the wall's strength and gave easy access to the battlements [1].