Rutupiae went from the first wooden fort in AD 43 through several cycles of building, reconstruction and destruction. At one point the Romans built a huuuge arch here, quite famous in its time as the gate to Britain, and it marked the start of their paved road system leading from Kent to Canterbury and further on to London. Today, the A2 road pretty much covers the same stretch of land.
Nowadays there's not much left except ruins. Some ditches have been re-dug, to show where the original, much longer ditches where placed, but there's little to give you an idea of the vast military might and wealth of the Roman Empire manifested in the buildings and settlements that once covered the grounds. Therefore it is essential that you get a free audio guide and read the informative text put up around the site. As with most English Heritage sites they are excellent, and will really help you make sense of what would otherwise be just a heap of stone.
Concentric ditches and remains of defensive structures, which were later turned into civilian structures or rebuilt completely.
The old "mansio" - a building that probably stood more or less untouched through the several phases, it was used as a hotel, a bath and an administrative building.
This is all that now remains of the grand arch the Romans built. It was made of granite imported from Italy and reportedly stood almost 25 meters tall. It was probably torn down and put into the last, massive, defensive walls which now borders the English Heritage area, but which probably was much smaller than the actual settlement. It must have been a grand sight. Sic transit gloria mundi.
Oven? Furnace? Random hole in the wall?
It was an incredible day to be out and about - temps in the mid to lower 20s (70s F), nary a cloud in the sky, slight breeze. Ahhh!
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