Today, the remains of Roman Richborough lie two miles inland, surrounded by the Kent marshes, but 2,000 years ago this spot faced a key sea crossing from Gaul. It is for this reason that the site is reputed to be a landing site for Claudius’ invasion of Britain in AD 43 –but nevertheless Richborough represented a vital military supply base as the imperial army pushed further inland, later flourishing into a thriving port town called Rutupiae. This prosperous settlement boasted grand public amenities, including an amphitheatre – and it is this structure that has formed the focus of recent excavations by Historic England archaeologists, working in partnership with English Heritage, in whose care the site lies.
Measuring 62m by 50m, the amphitheatre could have seated up to 5,000 spectators, who may have witnessed bloody entertainments including wild beast hunts, gladiatorial combat, and the public execution of condemned criminals. This once-popular attraction would ultimately fall out of use, and out of public memory, however. Although its remains survive above ground as grass-covered banks forming a doughnut shape, and are possibly depicted on a 16th-century map of the area, it was not until the 18th century that its original purpose was identified, when the site was visited and drawn by William Stukeley in 1724. More intensive investigations were later still in coming: the first excavation of the amphitheatre took place in 1849, overseen by a local antiquarian, William Rolfe. He uncovered two entrance walls and may have exposed the top of the whole arena circuit, as the entire outline was documented by a surveyor from the area, John Noakes Coleman. But little more about the remains was recorded – and, this autumn, English Heritage historian Paul Pattison and archaeologists headed by Tony Wilmott of Historic England have been working to find out more.
Investigating the arena
The recent project has established that the floor surface of the Roman arena lay far below the present ground level, identifying the line of the interior wall that had surrounded this space beneath a slump of archaeologically sterile soil that the team suggests represents the collapsed material of the amphitheatre’s seating bank.
Pagans and folklore