Observations Concerning Fort .Indent. 117 



be very strange if the top of each section did not present a 

 very uneven appearance. 



From our frequent visits to Fort Ancient, and a careful 

 study of these high eni1)anknients, we can come to no other 

 conclusion than that when first constructed they had flat 

 summits, and that their elevation, as we have endeavored to 

 show, was never but slightly greater than at present. 



At a number of the openings in the embankments of the 

 fort, we can ascertain the original width of base of the walls 

 by finding stones which were evidently used to retain the 

 first earth placed in the embankment by the builders. 



Some twenty-five years ago, when visiting the fort, I dis- 

 covered that there had been considerable earth removed from 

 the end near the ground of the high section of embankment, 

 next to the Chillicothe and Lebanon road. The object was to 

 widen the passage of this thoroughfare. By an examination 

 of the excavation, I discovered stones placed in such positions 

 as to clearly indicate the original width of base of the 

 embankment. This, as near as I could measure at the time, 

 was found to be fifty-four feet. About ten feet of earth on 

 either side of the embankment lay outside of these little 

 retaining walls, and which had been washed down since the 

 earth-wall was first constructed. This section of embank- 

 ment, it will be remembered, has at the present time a 

 ground-width of seventj'-four feet. 



The question now arises as to where the earth that has been 

 carried down since the embankment was constructed came 

 from. Certainly not from off the very top or center of the 

 wall, if we concede that there has been no great change in its 

 height. It must have come chiefly from the sides at or near 

 the top. If the top of the wall was flat, as we have claimed, 

 the first and important wear would be upon the angles, and 

 not until these were well worn ofif would the center of the 

 embankment be much afiected. 



By estimating the amount of earth that lies on either side 

 of the walls, outside of their original bases, we may form 

 some idea of not only the original top-width of these embank- 

 ments, but the angle of slope of their sides. In our recon- 

 struction of these high embankments, we would give them 

 the form of an elongated truncated pyramid. Taking the 



