470 



FORTIFICATION AND DEFENSE 



[b. a. e. 



that these existed when it' was erected. 

 That gaps were left in the wall at the bot- 

 tom of the few deep ravines that it crosse"? 

 is evident from the form of the wall at 

 these points, but nothing, remains to in- 

 dicate how these gaps were closed in case 

 of attack. Although the wall is built 

 chiefly of earth (mostly of clay) cast up 

 from an inside ditch, it is partially under- 

 laid at numerous points with stone. The 

 total length of the wall, following all the 

 bends, is 18,712 ft, or a little more than 

 3? m.; the height varies from 6 to 10 ft, 

 except across the neck at the back of the 

 fort where it reaches 18 or 19 ft. The 



solid contents 



probably do not 

 exceed 3,000,000 

 cu. ft. 



. That Ft An- 

 cient, so called, 

 is a Mork of de- 

 fense is evident 

 from its charac- 

 ter and situa- 

 tion, exhibited 

 especially by 

 the different 

 methods adopt- 

 ed for defending 

 its more vulner- 

 ablepoints. The 

 only level ap- 

 proach was at 

 the rear, which 

 was protected 

 by a high wall. 

 On the N. the 

 points more eas- 

 ily approached 

 are usually nar- 

 row, slojiing 

 ridges, gener- 

 ally crossed at 

 the upper termi- 

 nus by a wall of 

 ordinary height, 

 the ridge imme- 

 diately outside being cut down several 

 feet in order to present a steep slope cor- 

 responding to the outer slope of the wall. 

 On the other hand, where similar ridges 

 form approaches from the s., and at some 

 other points, the defenses are formed by 

 raising the wall considerably above the 

 normal height. The most vulnerable 

 point appears to be at the isthmus sepa- 

 rating the two forts, where the opposite 

 walls have their nearest approach. Here 

 a short space was undefended, though 

 the ascent is by no means difficult. A 

 short distance e. of the posterior wall of 

 the new fort are two small mounds, a 

 short distance apart, from each of which 

 extends a low wall, or road as Atwater 

 terms it, elevated about 3 ft, running 

 nearly parallel about i m., and forming 



an irregular semicircle about another 

 small mound. A part of the area be- 

 tween these walls was paved with flat 

 stones, remains of which now lie at a 

 depth of 2 ft in the soil. Several small 

 mounds and a number of stone graves 

 which contained human remains were 

 within the fort; these were explored by 

 Moorehead, but nothingof special interest 

 was found except the human remains. 

 The greater portion of the area included 

 in this inclosure is now the property of 

 the State of Ohio and has been made a 

 reservation under the care of the Ohio 

 Archaeological and Historical Society. 

 The first pur- 



MAP OF FORT ANCIENT, OHIO. 



base was made 

 in accordance 

 with an act of 

 the legislature, 

 Apr. 28, 1890, 

 and the second 

 purchasein pur- 

 suance of the act 

 of Apr. 16, 1896. 

 For further in- 

 formation see, in 

 addition to the 

 works cited, Al- 

 len, Prehistoric 

 World, 1885; 

 Drake, Pictures 

 of Cincinnati, 

 1815; Howe, His- 

 torical Collec- 

 tions of Ohio, 

 1898; MacLean, 

 Mound Build- 

 ers, 1879; Moore- 

 head, Fort An- 

 cient, 1890; Peet 

 in Am. Antiq., 

 Apr., 1878; Shep- 

 herd, Antiqui- 

 tiesof Ohio, 1887; 

 Thomas in Sci- 

 ence, VIII, Dec. 

 10, 1886. _ (c. T.) 

 Fortification and Defense. The simplest 

 defenses were furnished to the Indians 

 by nature. In the forest regions battles 

 were fought in the shelter of trees, and 

 in stony sections from sheltering rocks. 

 That war was waged and defensive meas- 

 ures were necessary in prehistoric times 

 is shown by the remains of fortifications 

 in the mound area of the United States. 

 These are of different types, the most 

 common being the so-called hill forts, 

 where defensive walls of earth or stone 

 surround a peak or hilltop or skirt a bluff 

 headland, as at Ft Ancient (q. v.), Ohio. 

 There are also circular, square, octagonal, 

 andotherinclosures on the lowlands which 

 are generally supposed to have been built 

 for defensive purposes, but they could 

 hardly have been effectual unless stock- 



