Palisade

– Etymology:
– Palisade derives from pale, from the Latin word pālus, meaning stake.
– Specifically used side by side to create a wood defensive wall.

– Typical Construction:
– Small or mid-sized tree trunks aligned vertically with little free space in between.
– Trunks sharpened or pointed at the top, driven into the ground.
– Height ranged from around a meter to 3-4 meters.
– Often used in conjunction with earthworks for defense.
– Vulnerable to fire and siege weapons due to wooden construction.

– Ancient Greece and Rome:
– Greeks and Romans used palisades to protect military camps.
– Livy describes Greek method as inferior to Romans during the Second Macedonian War.
– Roman stakes were smaller and closer together, harder to uproot.
– Greeks’ stakes were large and spaced far apart, easier for enemies to breach.
– Palisades played a crucial role in defensive strategies.

– Precolumbian North America:
– Kincaid site in Illinois was a Mississippian culture palisaded settlement.
– Iroquoian tribes defended settlements with palisades around the Great Lakes.
– Evidence of palisades found in Ontario, Canada, and New York, United States.
– Mississippian culture settlements like Cahokia Mounds site used palisades.
– Palisades were essential for defense and delineation of ceremonial precincts.

– Colonial America:
– Palisaded settlements common in Colonial North America for protection.
– English settlements like Jamestown, Cupids, and Plymouth surrounded by palisades.
– Palisades used in New France for defense.
– French colonists in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, built houses with vertical palings.
– Palisades were integral to early colonial architecture for defense.