Plural of castrum; Roman military camps or fortified settlements, especially temporary camp arrangements used during military campaigns.
From Latin 'castra', the plural of 'castrum' (camp), referring to the highly organized, grid-like temporary military settlements that Romans established wherever they conquered.
Roman 'castra' followed such a rigid architectural blueprint that you could navigate any camp in the dark—this standardized layout became the blueprint for hundreds of European towns that grew around abandoned Roman military sites.
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