Richborough, the fort protected a
sandy inlet on the Wansum channel that separated the island of
Thanet from the rest of Kent. Ptolemy (150) recorded
Routoupiai and Lucanus
Rutpina litora. The
Notitia Dignitatum tells us that this was the headquarters of the Prefect of the
Legio II Augusta and uses the form
Rutupis. This developed through Bede
(
Reptacaestir). A British stem
rut has been
suggested with the meaning 'ditches'.
This is one of the landing places
used by the Roman invading army in 43. A fortified bridgehead has
been detected. Later, a monumental arch on the site marked the
Claudian triumph over the British tribes. These were all swept
away by the building of the Saxon shore fort whose walls still
stand to 7 metres in places.