Level 3 - Life in Roman Sussex - Invasion & Consolidation

Invasion & Consolidation

The army at Fishbourne & Chichester

The earliest buildings at Fishbourne were two timber-framed granaries that were part of a military supply base at the harbour. Items of Claudian military equipment were found, and recent excavations have uncovered what seems to have been a masonry headquarters building, or Principia, although this may have been built at a slightly later date. Excavations at Chichester have also revealed very early occupation levels associated with the Roman military, and it may have been here that a fort was located.

It is clear that the Fishbourne/Chichester area did have a substantial military presence at around AD 43-6. However, whether this activity was connected with the initial invasion force, or was just the base for Vespasian's subsequent campaigns in the southwest is uncertain.