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Hill-slope Enclosure
The term hill-slope enclosure describes a type of late prehistoric earthwork found across South West England and also in Wales. Normally formed from a single bank, or ditch and bank, enclosing an area of less than 1 hectare, and not on the summit of a hill. They are often found on a spur of a larger hill or range of hills. The original purpose of the hill-slope enclosure is obscure but it is thought that they were not primarily defensive structures. Surveys and excavations have revealed low densities of posthole In archaeology a posthole or post-hole is a cut feature used to hold a surface timber or stone. They are usually much deeper than they are wide; however, truncation may not make this apparent. Although the remains of the timber may survive, most ...s and storage pits suggesting they functioned as defensible farmsteads and permanent livestock enclosures. They may also have served different purposes at different times and they may have had symbolic and religious signific ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Earthworks (archaeology)
In archaeology, earthworks are artificial changes in land level, typically made from piles of artificially placed or sculpted rocks and soil. Earthworks can themselves be archaeological features, or they can show features beneath the surface. Types Earthworks of interest to archaeologists include hill forts, henges, mounds, platform mounds, effigy mounds, enclosures, long barrows, tumuli, ridge and furrow, mottes, round barrows, and other tombs. * Hill forts, a type of fort made out of mostly earth and other natural materials including sand, straw, and water, were built as early as the late Stone Age and were built more frequently during the Bronze Age and Iron Age as a means of protection. See also Oppidum. * Henge earthworks are those that consist of a flat area of earth in a circular shape that are encircled by a ditch, or several circular ditches, with a bank on the outside of the ditch built with the earth from inside the ditch. They are believed to have been used ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ditch (fortification)
In military engineering, a ditch is an obstacle designed to slow down or break up an attacking force, while a trench is intended to provide cover to the defenders. In military fortifications the side of a ditch farthest from the enemy and closest to the next line of defence is known as the scarp while the side of a ditch closest to the enemy is known as the counterscarp. Uses In early fortifications, ditches were often used in combination with ramparts to slow down the enemy whilst defensive fire could be brought to bear from the relative protection afforded by the rampart and possibly the palisade. In medieval fortification, a ditch was often constructed in front of a defensive wall to hinder mining and escalade activities from an attacker. When filled with water, such a defensive ditch is called a moat. However, moats may also be dry. Later star forts designed by military engineers like Vauban, comprised elaborate networks of ditches and parapets, carefully calcula ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spur (topography)
A spur is a lateral ridge or tongue of land descending from a hill, mountain or main crest of a ridge. It can also be defined as another hill or mountain range which projects in a lateral direction from a main hill or mountain range. Examples of spurs include: *Abbott Spur, which separates the lower ends of Rutgers Glacier and Allison Glacier on the west side of the Royal Society Range in Victoria Land, Antarctica * Boott Spur, a subpeak of Mount Washington * Kaweah Peaks Ridge, a spur of the Great Western Divide, a sub-range of California's Sierra Nevada * Kelley Spur, east of Spear Spur on the south side of Dufek Massif in the Pensacola Mountains, Antarctica *Geneva Spur on Mount Everest * Sperrin Mountains in Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is #Descriptions, variously described as . ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Posthole
In archaeology a posthole or post-hole is a cut feature used to hold a surface timber or stone. They are usually much deeper than they are wide; however, truncation may not make this apparent. Although the remains of the timber may survive, most postholes are mainly recognisable as circular patches of darker earth when viewed in plan. Archaeologists can use their presence to plot the layout of former structures, as the holes may define its corners and sides. Construction using postholes is known as earthfast or post in ground construction. Parts of a posthole Although a very common structure, and one of the most basic found in archaeology, correct interpretation relies on being able to tell the often subtle differences that distinguish the parts of the posthole. The components of an archaeological posthole are listed in order of creation and, in ideal circumstances, the reverse order of their excavation. ;Posthole cut This is the cut that formed the hole. It is cut from the groun ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Storage Pit (archaeology)
Storage pits are underground cists that were used historically to protect the seeds for the following year's crops, and to stop surplus food from being eaten by insects and rodents. These underground pits were sometimes lined and covered, for example with slabs of stone and bark and tightly sealed with adobe.''Man in the San Juan Valley.'' Aztec Ruins National Monument, National Park Service. January 13, 2001. Retrieved 10-18-2011. Examples Sannai-Maruyama Site in , |
