Caister Roman Site

Caister Roman Fort was built around AD 200 as part of the Saxon Shore chain of coastal defenses protecting Roman Britain against seaborne raiders. The fort garrisoned 500 to 1,000 troops on what was then a small island overlooking a major estuary where four rivers converged, providing strategic control over inland trade routes into East Anglia. After AD 260 a complementary fort was built at Burgh Castle across the estuary. Excavations from 1951 to 1955 uncovered evidence of daily life including brooches, beads, charred grain, fish bones, and over 10,000 oyster shells, indicating families lived alongside soldiers.