---
title: Roman Fort
author: Mark Cartwright
source: https://www.worldhistory.org/Roman_Fort/
format: machine-readable-alternate
license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/)
updated: 2023-06-26
---

# Roman Fort

_Authored by [Mark Cartwright](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/markzcartwright/)_

The [Roman army](https://www.worldhistory.org/Roman_Army/) constructed both temporary and permanent forts and fortified military camps (*castrum*) across the frontiers of the [empire](https://www.worldhistory.org/empire/)'s borders and within territories which required a permanent military presence to prevent indigenous uprisings. Although given basic defensive features, forts were never designed to withstand a sustained enemy attack but rather to provide a protected place for accommodation and storage facilities for food, weapons, horses, and administrative records. Over the centuries [Roman](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Roman/) forts took on a remarkably standardised layout, and the impressive gates and ruins of some of the larger ones can still be seen across [Europe](https://www.worldhistory.org/europe/) today.

### Location

Forts were constructed in particular along the frontiers of the [Roman empire](https://www.worldhistory.org/Roman_Empire/) such as along sections of the River Danube and River Rhine. These prevented incursions from hostile neighbouring groups. Forts were also built during long sieges such as at Numantia in Spain and [Masada](https://www.worldhistory.org/Masada/) in [Judaea](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/judaea/). The majority of forts, though, were built in the interior of provinces in order to deter rebellions and better control the conquered peoples therein. [Britain](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Britain/) and [Dacia](https://www.worldhistory.org/dacia/) are examples of provinces which required a permanent military presence to maintain Roman control. In such hostile territories, forts were linked in a network for mutual support, but there were also isolated forts, especially at naval and supply bases. [Roman Britain](https://www.worldhistory.org/Roman_Britain/) has remains of over 400 camps, but some of these were either temporary or practice operations for engineers and soldiers to hone their fort-building skills.

### Dimensions & Defenses

The earliest known semi-permanent forts were constructed in Spain during the 2nd century BCE, but it was during the reign of [Augustus](https://www.worldhistory.org/augustus/) (27 BCE – 14 CE) that Roman forts began to assume a standardised form. Forts varied in size with the smallest measuring under a single hectare while the larger ones could be over 50 hectares in area. An example of the larger type fort is at Vetera and Oberaden in Germany, which housed two legions each.

Smaller forts and military camps were more temporary affairs which provided troops with a safe accommodation while on campaign. Small forts were also used by auxiliary units as frontier posts, and small square forts (*quadriburgia*) with 50-metre-long walls and a single gate were built in all Roman territories during the later empire period. Even larger forts were not self-sufficient for a long period of time and so were usually located near to [cities](https://www.worldhistory.org/city/) or, alternatively, settlements (*canabae*) sprang up around the fort to meet its needs and take advantage of the Roman soldiers there who were some of the select few to receive a regular income in the Roman world. Many of these settlements would evolve into medieval towns in their own right.

While all forts had their own individual features, there were many elements common to most. Standard forts were typically rectangular with rounded corners, and the walls of most were built using timber and, later, stone set above an earth rampart. Around the perimeter was a double row of ditches (*clavicula*), the earth from which was used to form the sloping rampart. The walls had three principal gates and towers set at intervals. From the 3rd century CE, when the use of artillery weapons became more widespread, towers projected outwards from the walls to increase the angle of fire.

[ ![Reconstructed Gate of the Roman Fort Biriciana, Germany](https://www.worldhistory.org/img/r/p/750x750/4710.jpg?v=1696959426) Reconstructed Gate of the Roman Fort Biriciana, Germany Carole Raddato (CC BY-SA) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/4710/reconstructed-gate-of-the-roman-fort-biriciana-ger/ "Reconstructed Gate of the Roman Fort Biriciana, Germany")Gates had two arched entrances which could be closed using wooden doors which were perhaps protected from fire by [metal](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/metal/) plating. They were locked by a cross bar on the inside, had their own two- or three-storey towers, and were protected by a separate line of ditches projecting out from the walls. Despite these defensive precautions the Romans did not design camps to resist sustained attack as in medieval castles, but rather, they aimed to provide enough measures to act as a deterrent for improvised enemy attacks. No doubt, if a fort was attacked by a large force, then the troops would be mobilised to meet the enemy in the field, but the reality was that for most of [Rome](https://www.worldhistory.org/Rome/)'s existence its enemies were not capable of the organisation and skills required for successful siege [warfare](https://www.worldhistory.org/warfare/) (the [Sassanian empire](https://www.worldhistory.org/Sasanian_Empire/) being a notable exception). In the later empire, however, the threat from marauding bands became much greater and forts evolved accordingly with fewer gates, curved towers to protect the gateways, and fan-shaped towers projecting from corners to maximise the field of fire from within and allow the walls and gates better protection. The [Saxon](https://www.worldhistory.org/Saxons/) Shore forts of Britain display these design features as well as having purpose-built tower battlements to allow the use of catapults.

A temporary camp was built each night when an army was on the march, or for a few days in order to rest and make repairs and resupply, to prepare for a [battle](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/battle/), during a siege, or for winter quarters (*hiberna*). A camp probably took a few [hours](https://www.worldhistory.org/Horae/) to build and sometimes had to be done under enemy fire. A wooden palisade protected by a ditch was built, again, on a rectangular plan, with tents instead of buildings but still keeping the general layout described below. Ten men from each century were tasked with building the camp, supervised by a military surveyor (*gromaticus*) who selected suitable terrain on high ground near a water source. Soldiers sometimes piled up stones against their leather tents for better protection from the elements, a habit useful for archaeologists to reconstruct temporary Roman camps. A single tent would have housed eight men.

[ ![Plan of a Typical Roman Fort](https://www.worldhistory.org/img/r/p/500x600/5989.png?v=1696959429) Plan of a Typical Roman Fort Mediatus (CC BY-SA) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/5989/plan-of-a--typical-roman-fort/ "Plan of a Typical Roman Fort")### Interior Layout

Inside the walls of permanent forts there were a number of separate buildings, which included barracks for legionaries (eight men to a room) and cavalry (men and their horses shared rooms), accommodation for the commanding officer, his family and slaves (*praetorium*), and sometimes also living quarters for tribunes, granaries (*horrea*) which were built on raised platforms to better protect their contents from damp, workshops (*fabricae*), a hospital (*valetudinarium*), a cistern, and in the case of larger forts, a number of shops (*tabernae*) or a market (*macellum*) and [Roman baths](https://www.worldhistory.org/Roman_Baths/). The latter were very often built outside the earlier mostly wooden forts as the furnaces needed to provide the underground heating were a real fire hazard. A wide avenue ran around all of these internal structures so that they were safe from enemy missiles landing over the [wall](https://www.worldhistory.org/wall/).

The fort complex was dominated by the headquarters building or *principia*, positioned in the dead centre of the fort. Inside the *principia* was a basilica with aisles and a tribunal set on a raised platform at one end from where the camp commander would lead assemblies, conduct disciplinary hearings, and perform his local judicial duties. There were also rooms for officer recreation (*scholae*) and for use as offices, the *aedes* - a shrine where the legion or unit's standards were kept, long rooms used as armouries (*armamentaria*), and an open courtyard. Under the *aedes was the strongroom dug into the floor where the fort's cash reserves were kept.

Forts had two internal streets leading to the three principal gates, so forming a T-shape. These were called the *via praetoria (which led from the main gate or *porta praetoria*) and *via principalis,* and the *principia* was located where the two streets met. Gates on the left and right side of the fort were known as the *porta* *principalis sinistra* and *porta *principalis* *dextra** respectively. The rear gate was known as the *porta decumana which was connected by a road leading directly to the *principia* or commander's tent in the case of camps. A good example of a Roman fort built on this standardised plan is the late 2nd century CE Wallsend fort (Segedunum) on [Hadrian's Wall](https://www.worldhistory.org/Hadrians_Wall/) which housed 480 legionaries and 120 cavalry.

#### Editorial Review

This human-authored definition has been reviewed by our editorial team before publication to ensure accuracy, reliability and adherence to academic standards in accordance with our [editorial policy](https://www.worldhistory.org/static/editorial-policy/).

## Bibliography

- [Anglim, S. *Fighting Techniques of the Ancient World 3000 BCE-500CE.* Amber Books, 2013.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/1909160466/)
- [Hornblower, S. *The Oxford Classical Dictionary.* Oxford University Press, 2012.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0199545561/)
- [Southern, P. *The Roman Army.* Amberley, 2015.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/1445620898/)

## About the Author

Mark is WHE’s Publishing Director and has an MA in Political Philosophy (University of York). He is a full-time researcher, writer, historian and editor. Special interests include art, architecture and discovering the ideas that all civilizations share.

## Timeline

- **c. 23 CE**: The castra praetoria, permanent camp of the [Praetorian Guard](https://www.worldhistory.org/Praetorian_Guard/), is built in [Rome](https://www.worldhistory.org/Rome/) by [Sejanus](https://www.worldhistory.org/sejanus/).

## Cite This Work

### APA
Cartwright, M. (2016, November 02). Roman Fort. *World History Encyclopedia*. [https://www.worldhistory.org/Roman\_Fort/](https://www.worldhistory.org/Roman_Fort/)
### Chicago
Cartwright, Mark. "Roman Fort." *World History Encyclopedia*, November 02, 2016. [https://www.worldhistory.org/Roman\_Fort/](https://www.worldhistory.org/Roman_Fort/).
### MLA
Cartwright, Mark. "Roman Fort." *World History Encyclopedia*, 02 Nov 2016, [https://www.worldhistory.org/Roman\_Fort/](https://www.worldhistory.org/Roman_Fort/).

## License & Copyright

Submitted by [Mark Cartwright](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/markzcartwright/ "User Page: Mark Cartwright"), published on 02 November 2016. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.en). This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.