ARCH^EOLOGV. 11 



of the steep hill, over loose rocks in many places, and constantly exposed 

 to the missiles of the besieged. Although nowhere more than two feet 

 in height now, the amount of material scattered along the line where it 

 has stood is abundant for the construction of a barrier sufficient to check 

 the advance of an unorganized or undisciplined foe. The few breaks or 

 openings easily accessible are all in the part crossing the neck of the 

 spur, and are quite narrow, with the wall curving inward at each. Thus 

 every entrance could speedily be closed to form a cul-de-sac, making an 

 assault extremely hazardous to a hostile force by exposing them on three 

 sides to those within. This feature, infrequent in ancient works, is indi- 

 cative of considerable military knowledge and skill on the part of the 

 builders. 



Somewhat similar in construction is the stone fort near Glenford, 

 Perry county. It is built on a hill, cut off by deep ravines from the ad- 

 jacent country except on the southeast side where a narrow isthmus, 

 scarcely wide enough for a wagon road, connects it with the higher land 

 in that direction. The outcrop of the cap-rock of the hill, a heavy 

 stratum of coarse sandstone, forms a vertical cliff of varying height 

 almost entirely around it ; on the edge of this cliff have been piled thous- 

 ands of cubic yards of stones. Where the height of the cliff would obviate 

 the necessity of further obstacles to an enemy, the wall ceases; where it 

 is so low as to afford but little protection, an amount of stone sufficient 

 to answer the purpose is heaped up. There are many crevices in the 

 bed-rock, all of them guarded according to their size and position; one of 

 these opens out on the isthmus, and here was the principal entrance. 

 Possibly this had something to do with the selection of the site. A wall 

 is built along each side, and opposite the end is a wing wall commanding 

 its whole length. At several different points are minor openings, most 

 of them convenient to good springs at the foot of the hill. 



Fort Hill in Highland county is another example of this class. It is 

 located on one of the western peaks of the Sunfish Hills, entirely detached 

 by Brush Creek and deep ravines from any other elevated area. The 

 hillsides present a succession of minor cliffs, shale banks, washouts, and 

 loose, broken rock; in only two or three places can a continuous moderate 

 grade be found to the summit. At the top, a sandstone ledge crops out, 

 and the weathered fragments of this are piled up into a rude wall around 

 the hill, conforming in some measure to its irregular outline. The height 

 of the wall was increased by throwing on it a large quantity of earth, 

 excavated along its inner, or upper, side, leaving a considerable ditch. 



Differing somewhat in method of construction from the above, but 

 similarly located in a defensible position is the embankment at North 

 Bend, also known as Fort Hill. As this title is due by preemption to 

 the work last described, it would be well to call this one Fort Miami, 

 from its location on the high hill overlooking all the territory about the 

 mouth of the Great Miami River. Although there is some stone in the 



