As the debate ebbs and flows about the dangers of coastal erosion to Britain's shores, archaeologists in Kent have discovered that parts of our Roman coastline lay two miles inland from today's coast.
English Heritage archaeologists, excavating on previously untouched land at Richborough Roman Fort near Sandwich in Kent, have discovered the original Roman coastline at the time of the Roman invasion of Britain in AD43.
"It is widely known that Richborough Roman Fort was the gateway to Roman Britain 2000 years ago,” explained English Heritage archaeologist Tony Wilmot, “but what is really exciting is that we have actually found the Roman foreshore while digging in a deep trench alongside the remains of a Roman wall.”
“The bottom of the trench continually fills with water and by trowelling you can feel the hard surface, which was the Roman beach. We have long been curious about this fallen Roman fort wall and now we know there was a Roman harbour sitting out there."
A month-long dig has been taking place along a 90-metre section of collapsed Roman wall and archaeologists have also found evidence of a medieval dock amidst the Roman remains – built using the same technique as the 14th century town wall in Kent.
The month-long dig ends Friday October 3 and archaeologists are still evaluating the significance of the medieval quayside.
Fragments of Roman pottery and building materials such as wood and leather have also been found in the ditch, which will be carbon dated to validate the time period of around the 4th Century.
In the Roman invasion era, Richborough Roman Fort overlooked a sheltered lagoon and archaeologists have also uncovered a number of smaller finds such as Roman coins and fragments of Italian marble.
It is believed the latter is from a great triumphal arch built at Richborough in around AD80 to commemorate the Conquest of Britain.
