Fortress Bank Mn

Hunting for animals, fishing, and gathering nuts and berries continued for thousands of years until people began planting seeds and farming. Then they settled in one place rather than moving about as they had to stay for at least a season to harvest their crops in the Fall.

Early Fortifications

They settled close to a stream or river to have a source of drinking water, later to use the water to operate mills and travel by boat to other villages. But living on these transportation routes required protection. Castle expert and historian, Brian Adams described the early fortifications. To protect themselves from people invading from other regions, at first people built a “ringwork: an enclosure surrounded by a ditch with an earth rampart inside it.” This ringwork consisted of a piled-up mound of dirt (motte) surrounded by a strong wooden fence.