References

The Creation and Adjustment of the Litus Saxonicum

  • La création et l’adaptation du Litus Saxonicum

Sofie Vanhoutte and Tony Wilmott

30 June 2026.

DOI : 10.58335/hima.2357

p. 65-95

    Abstracts

    The Roman defensive system known in the Notitia dignitatum as the Litus Saxonicum forms the maritime limes of the Later Western Roman Empire. Though often described as a unitary system, archaeological evidence makes it clear that the coastal defence on both sides of the North Sea and Channel was adapting to ever changing threats, whether from barbarian raids or incursions, or from the problems linked to the breakaway British provinces. The command of the Count of the Saxon Shore can now be seen as commander of brigades and military installations of diverse origins and functions, and this command was only one element in a constantly evolving system.

    Le système défensif romain connu par la Notitia dignitatum sous le nom de Litus Saxonicum forme le limes maritime de l’Empire romain occidental tardif. Bien que souvent décrit comme un système unitaire, les preuves archéologiques montrent clairement que la défense côtière des deux côtés de la mer du Nord et de la Manche s'adaptait à des menaces toujours changeantes, qu’il s’agisse des raids ou des incursions barbares, ou des problèmes liés aux provinces britanniques séparatistes. Le commandement du Comte de la côte saxonne peut désormais être considéré comme le commandant de brigades et d’installations militaires d’origines et de fonctions diverses, et ce commandement n’était qu’un élément dans un système en constante évolution.

    Index

    Mots-clés

    côte saxonne, Litus Saxonicum, Notitia dignitatum, défense côtière, Carausius, Constantin, Boulogne, Richborough, Oudenburg

    Keywords

    Saxon Shore, Litus Saxonicum, Notitia dignitatum, coastal defence, Carausius, Constantine, Boulogne, Richborough, Oudenburg

    Outline

    Dedication

    This paper is dedicated to the memory of the late Malcolm Lyne, a beloved friend and colleague of the authors, whose kindness and immense knowledge will be greatly missed.

    Excerpt

    The Litus Saxonicum or Saxon Shore, the late Roman large-scale defensive system along the North Sea and Channel coasts, has traditionally not been perceived as part of the limes, the established border of the Roman Empire. However, it does form the north-western geographical frontier of the late Roman Empire with the sea, the edge of the then known world. Britain was unique in being accessible only by sea. The British and Gaulish coasts became progressively more militarized from the late 2nd century onwards as a result of increasing seaborne pressure by Germanic tribes coming from the north. The defence of these coastlines mainly comprised a series of castella and fleet bases, implanted at river mouths and on important crossings of waterways and roads. During the 3rd century, several new forts were built along the coast of South-East Britain and along the Gaulish coast, and by the 4th century many of these were united into the Litus Saxonicum (Fig. 1). In Britannia their associated ...

    References

    Bibliographical reference

    Sofie Vanhoutte and Tony Wilmott, « The Creation and Adjustment of the Litus Saxonicum », HiMA : revue internationale d'Histoire Militaire Ancienne, 14 | 2025, 65-95.

    Electronic reference

    Sofie Vanhoutte and Tony Wilmott, « The Creation and Adjustment of the Litus Saxonicum », HiMA : revue internationale d'Histoire Militaire Ancienne [Online], 14 | 2025, 30 June 2026 and connection on 30 May 2026. Copyright : Le texte seul, hors citations, est utilisable sous Licence CC BY 4.0. Les autres éléments (illustrations, fichiers annexes importés) sont susceptibles d’être soumis à des autorisations d’usage spécifiques.. DOI : 10.58335/hima.2357. URL : https://preo.ube.fr/hima/index.php?id=2357

    Authors

    Sofie Vanhoutte

    Researcher Archaeology, Flanders Heritage Agency, Belgium

    Author resources in other databases

    • IDREF

    Tony Wilmott

    Senior Archaeologist, Historic England, UK (retired)

    Author resources in other databases

    • IDREF
    • ISNI
    • BNF

    Copyright

    Le texte seul, hors citations, est utilisable sous Licence CC BY 4.0. Les autres éléments (illustrations, fichiers annexes importés) sont susceptibles d’être soumis à des autorisations d’usage spécifiques.