In archaeology , an enclosure is one of the most common types of archaeological site – It is any area of land separated from surrounding land by earthworks , walls or fencing. Such a simple feature is found all over the world and during almost all archaeological periods . They may be few metres across or be large enough to encompass whole cities.
30-539: Wargaade Wall , or Warqaadi , is an ancient stone construction in Wargaadhi, Hirshabelle ,in Somalia . It enclosed a large settlement in the region. Graves and unglazed sherds of pottery dating from antiquity have been found during excavations in the area. The wall's building material consists of rubble set in mud mortar . The high wall measures 230 m × 210 m (750 ft × 690 ft). After
60-1019: A fundamental human desire to make physical boundaries around spaces. Some economic historians speculate that the introduction of archaeological enclosures likely caused a shift into historical capitalist economies. Along with most archaeological interests, enclosure sites have been most researched and notably progressive during the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, and the Iron Age. More modern methods used to identify archaeological enclosures have been studied and developed by economic historians, historical geographers, landscape historians and trained archaeologists. Even in current times, through using accessible technology, many non-trained individuals have become interested in archaeological enclosures through methods such as satellite imaging . Enclosures created from ditches and banks or walling can often be identified in
90-545: A general level, enclosure (archaeologically) could be defined as the replacement of open-fields with privately owned-fields through walls, banks, and dividers. However, this definition has been criticised, as it appears many archaeological enclosures are not enclosed by a physical boundary. Enclosures served numerous practical purposes including being used to delineate settlement areas, to create defensive positions, or to be used as animal pens. They were also widely adopted in ritual and burial practices and seem to demonstrate
120-503: A livestock enclosure. Identification for archaeological enclosures developed five pillars of scientific archaeology method from 1860 onwards. These pillars consisted of small find and plain artefact, field notes / photography / maps / excavation, stratigraphic excavation, and publication of results, and indigenous rights. In more recent times, the methods of identification have become technologically advanced and less invasive. Especially popular amongst amateur archaeologists, Google Earth
150-535: A recurring ritual, rather than war or other forms of battles. The use of enclosures as defensive structures are considered to have first been used in Mesolithic times. Archaeological sites such as causewayed enclosures, enciente enclosures, and other fortification enclosures were generally considered among the popular defensive models. For example, the Tel Jezreel enclosure built during 9th century Israel
180-542: A surface antenna. GPR was popularised for its centimetre accuracy and ground penetration. The oldest archaeological site that in some way involved an enclosure is Göbekli Tepe , a site from the late stone / Neolithic age in South-eastern Turkey first noted in 1963. The site contains over 200 limestone pillars within multiple stone circle enclosures (each enclosure being designated A-H). The length of these enclosures span up to 20 meters in diameter, and
210-514: Is boma , but this has taken on wider meanings. In some Southern African regions, the term Kraal is used in Scouting to refer to the team of Scout Leaders of a group. The term primarily refers to the type of dispersed homestead characteristic of the Nguni -speaking peoples of southern Africa. Although from the period of colonisation, European South Africans and historians commonly referred to
240-494: Is a small, horse-shoe shaped enclosure appearing in southern Scotland, and was excavated in 2007. Mar Hall was an enclosure site predicted to have been formed within the Bronze Age . It appears certain that activity took place within the inner-ring grooves of the enclosure, and was likely not used for domestic practises due to its lack of diagnostic material. Banjo enclosures are a prominent enclosure type found commonly in
270-481: Is an Afrikaans and Dutch word, also used in South African English , for an enclosure for cattle or other livestock, located within a Southern African settlement or village surrounded by a fence of thorn-bush branches, a palisade , mud wall , or other fencing, roughly circular in form. It is similar to a boma in eastern or central Africa. In Curaçao , another Dutch colony, the enclosure
300-494: Is its ability to map human impact through identifying cultural features of landscapes. However, LiDAR is restricted in its ability to maintain effectiveness when mapping large areas. Ground penetrating radar (GPR) is a non-invasive technique to identify manmade buildings such as enclosures and walls. GPR uses downward facing energy to identify clustered, enclosed areas that other geophysical techniques are often unable to detect. Moreover, it uses high frequency radar pulses from
330-443: Is speculated to be for stock control and containment, rather than being for defensive and military use. It is also thought that the enclosures may have served as high-status occupation sites. The majority of Banjo enclosures are discovered through aerial photography and ground-penetrating radar imaging. Due to their earthwork, they are not expected to remain stable over time. Kraal Kraal (also spelled craal or kraul )
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#1732765199259360-638: Is suggested the functions of the enclosures were for communal meetings, settlement, and burial sites. Cursus monuments are archaeological enclosures most commonly noted throughout British, Scottish and Irish earthwork. They are characterised as being long, narrow pairs of enclosures generally dating back to 4000-2500BC. Cursus monuments often resemble ditches in the ground, as their rectangular walls are often outlined structurally by materials such as wood. These monuments are most often discovered through aerial imaging, and other ground penetrating methods. These enclosures range in length from 10 km (as seen in
390-459: Is used for its satellite imaging techniques that reveal indications of eroded archaeological sites. Methods of aerial photographs were first popularised in the 1930s, but current universal access of websites such as Google Earth has provided un-restricted access to such images. Due to the nature of Google Earths high resolution imagery, it has allowed access for speculation into the landscape of inaccessible areas. These satellite images often show
420-517: The Dorset Cursus ), to around 50 meters approximately. There is no approximate width of any known cursus monuments, as it varies depending on the purpose. There are few entrances to cursuses enclosures, but most often seen as gaps along the side of the earthwork. The purpose of cursus monuments are considered mostly to be used for guides, barriers for districts, and most commonly for ritualistic and ceremonial purposes. The Mar Hall enclosure
450-465: The Zulu people , the kraal, or isibaya , in the Zulu language , acts as a homestead, a site for ritual worship, and as a defensive position. It's laid out as a circular arrangement of beehive-shaped huts called iQukwane , which were traditionally constructed by women, surrounding a cattle enclosure. They are always built on one of Zululand's many hills, orientated downwards. The term "kraal" refers both to
480-481: The British Middle Iron Age . They are characterised by their small, sub-circular outline, and single entrance, and usually connect to a wider field or paddock. The rounded enclosure is usually bound by a lake or something of the sorts, often resembling a banjo. They are not strongly understood or dated; however, it is evident they were originated during the Iron Age. The use of these enclosures
510-591: The Neolithic Stone Age are causewayed enclosures (otherwise referred to as ‘ causewayed camps ’). They are the earliest known form of open space enclosures. It is believed causewayed enclosures originated in mainland Europe and spread through France, Germany, Scandinavia and the British Isles. The enclosures are characterised by their oval or circular shape, and often having a concentric circuit for banks and ditches of up to 20 meters long. It
540-461: The chief's were those of his wives, with the great wife closest to his own. Closer to the entrance, the huts of the sons of the village were placed on the left side and the huts of the daughters of the village on the right. In each hut would be an umsamo , a special ritual area, with the most important umsamo located in the chief's hut. The huts nearest the entrance were used for guests and visitors. Additionally, there would be multiple watchtowers in
570-499: The entire settlement as a kraal , ethnographers have long recognised that its proper referent is the animal pen area within a homestead. Modern ethnographers call the several human dwellings within a homestead ( Xhosa : umzi , Zulu : umuzi , Sotho : mutsi , Swazi : umuti ) houses (singular indlu ; plural Xhosa and Zulu izindlu , Sotho dintlu , Swati tindlu ). Folds for animals and enclosures made specially for defensive purposes are also called kraals. For
600-499: The field through aerial photography or ground survey . Other types of enclosures leave less permanent records and may only be identified during excavation . Uses of archaeological enclosures for rituals date back to early Neolithic Age. Ritual sites often used roofless enclosures for dances, customs, mourning ceremonies. Sites such as the Native American Chumash sacred enclosures were positioned towards
630-599: The middle of settlements and were often built for priests. Conversely, sites such as the Lismullin Henge in Ireland (520-370 B.C.) were created and positioned meteorologically to celebrate summer and winter solstices. Many archaeological enclosures that were once considered defensive and fortified are recently being understood as ritualistic after instances of skulls and other human bones have recently revealed to have been laid in deposits within enclosures — suggesting
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#1732765199259660-499: The most represented animal depicted within the carvings and pictographs. The lead excavator of the site, Klaus Schmidt , believed the site was a cult of the dead . This suggestion is further noted by recent findings of potential skulls within the walls and floors. It is possible that each enclosure within the site was representative of different groups, and pictographs within the walls aligned with clans beliefs or traditions. One example of an enclosure suggested to be created in
690-420: The pillars up to 5.5 meters. These structures were thought to be over 11,000 years old, however the exact date of the creation of Göbekli Tepe is still unknown. It is speculated that the enclosures of the site were likely built by hunter-gatherers of the time, due to the significant variety of animal bones uncovered around the site. However, these bones could be related to evidence suggesting that Göbekli Tepe
720-445: The regular implementation of enclosures within communities. Some enclosures contained just single houses, while others contained entire communities within them. Enclosure entrances were usually found on the sides of the structure, with doorways into the enclosures often consisting of kerb-stones and vertical wooden jambs. The most common form of settlement enclosure was a kraal enclosure, which consisted of multiple houses surrounding
750-510: The settlement was abandoned during the Islamic era , the population of Wargaade began using the wall as a source for building material, which contributed to its current eroded state. Enclosure (archaeology) Archaeological enclosures are typically representative of recurrent patterns of human activity throughout history through landscape. The absolute definition of archaeological enclosures has been debated over time. Some suggest that at
780-652: The uncovered or eroding areas of archaeological enclosures and settlement mounds that are exposed. LiDAR is an aerial tool introduced to archaeology in the 1970s, and in modern times has been used greatly amongst the archaeological community for remote sensing. LiDAR has developed popularity in recent years among the archaeological community. It is able to produce three-dimensional mapping of earthworks and high-resolution topographical data. LiDAR's advantages can be attributed to its flexibility, small laser footprint, non-invasive technology, price, and far-reaching field of view. The most prominent and discussed advantage of LiDAR
810-431: The village itself and the central cattle enclosure. Kraals are built on a hill sloping downwards, with the entrance facing the bottom of the hill for sanitary, defensive, and ritual purposes. There is an outside wooden fence that encompasses the entire kraal, and then an interior one for the cattle enclosure. The hut opposite of the entrance was the home of either the chief's mother or the chief himself. The huts closest to
840-652: Was called "koraal" Which means coral and which in Papiamentu is translated "kura" (still in use today for any enclosed terrain, like a garden). In the Afrikaans language a kraal is a term derived from the Portuguese word curral , cognate with the Spanish-language corral , which entered into English separately. In Eastern and Central Africa, the equivalent word for a livestock enclosure
870-459: Was not a settlement like most archaeological sites from that time, but rather a temple likely used for death rituals. It is estimated that creation of one of the enclosures would have required hundreds of builders, and construction would have taken place over a significantly long period of time. Many of the pillars and enclosures are thought to be landmarks for storytelling amongst the population, with data suggesting that snakes, boars and cranes are
900-501: Was once the central military base for the Royal Israelite army. Large scale excavation has revealed that most fortification enclosures, including Tel Jezreel, were built using layers of soil and stones to provide solid protection and defence. Many archaeological enclosure sites throughout time have been used as dwellings, settlements and animal enclosing sites. Economic dependency, kinship, and social hierarchy all influenced
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