What does Portchester reveal about the people at the time in which it was created and/or developed?
Portchester Castle reveals a lot about how the people at the time lived, it shows why and by whom it was created, what was created there and when the fort was built and further developed. The three main time periods in which Portchester was changed were in the Roman period, the Norman period and during Richard II’s reign.
The Romans first attempted to invade Britain in 55BC under the rule of Julius Caesar; they wanted to invade to gain glory and power, however quick defence by the locals and bad weather stopped the invasion before it really began. Another attempt to invade Britain was not made until 43AD by Emperor Claudius, this invasion was …show more content…
The landgate was built in a rectangle shape, and set on two levels, the first was the main gate and the second level housed a guard room.
Portchester castle may have been built for many reasons, it may have been built for religious reasons, as there was a temple that was built and to civilise and Romanise the Celts, this is unlikely however, as the fort was built much too late to have any real effect on the Celts, as things should have already been settled.
The fort may have been built for social or economic reasons, the Romans wanted to meet and communicate with each other easily, this is reinforced by the fact that they built forums (market and meeting places) in many of their towns, including at Portchester. It may have also been constructed for economic reasons, as trade was vital to the Romans to maintain and improve the strength of their empire; to trade the Romans depended on ships, thus they needed a safe harbour, which could’ve been why Portchester was built, as goods could easily be unloaded while the navy remained …show more content…
The third and final theory of why Portchester was built is that in 250AD the Roman Empire was weakened by a civil war and faced renewed threats from Barbarian tribes from the east. Germanic tribes began raiding the east and south coast, plundering towns of food, gold and slaves, and Portchester was built to defend against these threats. This theory is reinforced by a parallel chain of forts across the channel on the north coast of Gaul; this suggests a unified defensive system where Roman vessels could patrol the