The 'Saxon Shore' forts are among the most impressive surviving monuments of Roman Britain, although much about them remains a mystery. In an impressive outlay of money, manpower and materials the frontier system stretched across the Wash-Solent and included the heavy fortification of the major harbours and estuaries of the east and south-east coast. This book is concerned with the fundamental questions concerning the forts. Who built the military monuments, when, and why? How did they operate, who garrisoned them, and for how long? This book explores the history of this frontier system the ruins of which define the British landscape to this day.

Illustrated by: Donato Spedaliere