﻿NO. 10 



SMITHSONIAN EXPLORATIONS, I923 



III 



the northern side of this hill. \'ery faint traces of them can be seen 

 at T, T, T, figure ii i . 



The Great jMound division of this ancient town was protected on 

 the water side by the perpendicular clififs of the Harpeth River. On 

 the land side it was defended by an earthen embankment or breast- 

 works surmounted by a wooden wall from which at intervals semi- 

 circular wooden towers projected. These earthen breastworks, which 

 had formerly supported this wooden wall, were still to be found in 

 the undisturbed woodlands where they yet extend about i| miles, and 

 there is evidence that they originally ran much farther. Wooden 

 palisades, consisting of small tree-trunks, had been driven into the 

 ground side by side and wedged together and the soil thrown against 



MAP or 

 MOUND BOTTOM 



Fig. 109. 



them until they were by this means firmlv imbedded in these earthen 

 embankments or breastworks. These palisades, bound closely together 

 and strongly braced, formed a wooden wall wdiich had been plastered 

 on the outside in order to make scaling by an enemy difficult. Earthen 

 bastions projecting beyond this line of wall at intervals of about 150 

 yards were still to be found. These had formerly supported semi- 

 circular wooden towers. The enemy advancing to attack was there- 

 fore subjected to fire from the defenders through port-holes along the 

 main wall and also to a flanking fire from the warriors in the towers 

 on these l)astions. Faint traces of some of the timbers of these 



