Artist's impression of the circular rampart of Burg, nearCelle, Germany
Acircular rampart (German:Ringwall)[1] is an embankment built in the shape of acircle that was used as part of the defences for a military fortification,hill fort or refuge, or was built for religious purposes or as a place of gathering.
The period during which these structures were built ranged from theNeolithic to theMiddle Ages.
The key feature of a circularrampart is that theembankment formed the primary element of the defensive fortification.[2] It can be constructed in various ways: as a simple earth embankment, as a wood and earth structure, or as a wall. Circular ramparts usually have amoat orditch in front of them; the embankment can be enhanced with a woodenpalisade. They are mostly found on lowlands, but sometimes encircle the summit of a hill.[2] Often several concentric rings were built, which produced a more effective defensive position against attackers.[2] The interior of such sites often shows evidence of buildings such as halls, barns, and other secondary structures.
External view of the Burg siteTop of the rampart at Burg
Circular ramparts are found in north and western Europe, for example, inDenmark,Estonia,Sweden,Germany,Great Britain, Belgium and the Netherlands; in central Europe, inAustria andSwitzerland; in southeastern Europe inRomania,Moldova andUkraine;[3] and also in theUnited States.[4] They are often hidden in woods and discovered by aerial photography. Archaeological profiles through the defences and excavations of the interior enable analysis of the period the site was occupied, the pottery used and the type of food consumed.
^Comité International d'Histoire de l'Art (1996)Burgen und Feste Plätze/Chateaux-forts et places fortes/Castles and Fortified Places, Munich: De Gruyter, p. 236.
^Gimbutas, Marija (1982), "Old Europe in the Fifth Millennium B.C.: The European Situation on the Arrival of Indo-Europeans", in Edgar C. Polomé (ed.),The Indo-Europeans in the Fourth and Third Millennia, Ann Arbor, USA: Karoma Publishers, pp. 1–60,ISBN0-89720-041-1
^Shoemaker, Nancy,American Indians, WileyBlackwell, 1 October 2000,ISBN0-631-21995-1
