It is located on Dere Street, the main Roman road linking Eboracum (York) with Hadrian's Wall and its surrounding areas.

It is about 13 miles (21 km) south of Hadrian's wall, and was built at the foot of a long descent, sloping towards the north, scattered along the edge of a still deeper declivity, which overhangs the green low-lying meadow of the river valley of the Derwent.

In Ebchester Roman ramparts, altars and remains of all kinds are mingled in singular confusion with the gardens, cottages, roads and St. Ebba's Church.

Despite more recent construction on the site, a few legionary building stones and small altars have been recovered, enabling archaeologists to identify which units garrisoned the fort.

[3] The first unit proven to garrison Ebchester is the Cohors Quartae Breucorum Antoninianae (The Fourth Cohort of the Breuci: Antonine's Own), identified from an early 3rd century altar.

This Auxilia unit was originally levied from amongst the Breuci tribe of Pannonia Inferior, natives of the Bosna valley in northeastern Bosnia-Herzegovina.