Rutupiae was the Roman name for Richborough, which they founded when first landing in England in 43AD.
It has commonly been accepted that Richborough was the landing site for the 43 AD invasion, because of the existence of 1st Century ditches and fortifications on the site. These ditches and fortifications were built to protect the Romans bridgehead and supply depot.
As the fighting moved north, Rutupiae became an increasingly large civilian settlement. There were temples, an amphitheatre and a Mansio (first built in 100, it was a building that went through several phases, being a hotel for visiting officials, bath house and administration building).
As a port, the town always competed with Portus Dubris (modern Dover). However, Richborough was widely regarded throughout the Roman Empire for the quality of its oysters whilst "Rutupine shore" was used as a synonym for the whole coast of Britain in some literary works.
During the late third century this large civilian town was remilitarised by its conversion into a Saxon Shore Fort. The Saxon Shore Forts were a series of forts built by the Romans along the Channel on the English and French sides, to guard against invading Saxon pirates. Construction of the fort here is believed to have started in 277 and completed in 285. The fort was 5 acres in area and surrounded by massive walls, forming an almost perfect square. However, the construction of the north and south walls differed. The north wall was built by different gangs of laborers, while the south wall seems to have been built as a single unit. This suggests that the north wall of the fort was built sometime after the construction of the south wall. In some places, the walls reached over 25 feet (8 m) in height, and were built of small ashlar and double-tile courses. The main entrance of the fort was in the west wall.
Though some stone buildings existed in the interior of the fort, most of its buildings seem to have been composed of timber. There existed a central rectangular building built of stone, which was probably the headquarters.
During the decline of the Roman Empire, Richborough was eventually abandoned by the Romans and occupied by a Saxon religious settlement.
