Information AboutMoat |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT MOAT | |
| fortification | |
| medieval defenses | |
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A moat is deep, broad Trench , usually filled with Water , that surrounds a structure, installation, or town, normally to provide it with a preliminary line of Defense . HISTORIC USES Traditionally, moats were excavated around Castles and fortifications as part of the defensive system, and were usually filled with water. They provided a preliminary barrier outside the Fortification Walls against attacks upon the complex. A moat made access to the walls difficult for siege weapons, such as a Siege Tower s and Battering Ram s, which needed to be brought up against a wall to be effective. A very important feature was that a water-filled moat made very difficult the practice of Sapping or undermining, that is to say digging tunnels under the fortifications in order to effect a collapse of the defenses. The word was adapted in Middle English from the French ''motte'' "mound, hillock" and was first applied to the central mound on which a fortification was erected (see Motte And Bailey ), and then came to be applied to the excavated ring, a "dry moat". The term ''moat'' is also applied to natural formations reminiscent of the artificial structure. rises from its moat]] Europe In the violent conditions of the 14th and 15th centuries in England, though defensive walling required a charter from the king, a moat round a Manor House could deter all but the most determined intruders (''illustration, top right''). See also Ightham Mote . Moated fortresses are also evident in Ferrara , the Rocca Sanvitale in Fontanelleta, and the Rocca Scaglieri in Sirmione on the shores of Lake Garda. Often streams were diverted in the Middle Ages to fill the ditch. Moats required upkeep. They had to be dredged for debris which could potentially form a traversable bridge from one side to another. Withdrawable Bridge s spanned moats in the Middle Ages. At first they were only simple wooden bridges that could easily be dismantled if an enemy was about to breach the fortifications. Later Drawbridge s were used for moat spans. Moats sometimes had long wooden spikes in them, to prevent enemies from swimming across. The practice of stocking them with alligators, crocodiles, sharks or other dangerous animals is almost certainly a myth, however. {Link without Title} As late as the seventeenth century, French Château x that were not remotely fortified nor built on traditionally fortified and moated sites, pleasure houses such as Vaux-le-Vicomte , were surrounded by traditional formal moats that isolated the main '' Corps De Logis '' and were bridged by an axial approach. Asia and surrounding Gardens showing the elaborate moat system]] Japanese Castle s often have very elaborate moats, sometimes with many moats laid out in concentric circles around the castle and a host of different patterns engineered around the landscape. Japanese castles will have up to three of these concentric moats. The outer moat typically protects other support buildings in addition to the castle. As many Japanese Castles have historically been a very central part of their respective city, the moats have respectivially provided a vital waterway to the city. Even in modern times, the moat system of the Japanese Imperial Palace comprises a very active body of water, hosting everything from rental boats and fishing ponds to restaurants.1. Most modern Japanese castles have moats filled with water, but castles in the middle ages more commonly had 'dry moats' (karahori, 空堀), essentially a trench. Even today, it is common for mountain castles to have dry moats. Moats were also used in East Asia in the Forbidden City and Xi'an in China and Kokyo Imperial Palace in Japan; in Vellore in India and in Southeast Asia, such as at Angkor Wat in Cambodia and Chiang Mai in Thailand . The Forbidden City , in Beijing , is surrounded by a large moat, 52m broad and 6m deep, ensuring a vast open space in front of the walls. America While moats are commonly associated with European castles, they were also developed by North America n Indians of the Mississippian Culture as the outer defense of some fortified villages. The remains of a 16th-century moat are still visible at the Parkin Archeological State Park in eastern Arkansas . PHOTO GALLERY |
Image:Keep Of Matsumoto CastleJPG
| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Matsumoto_Castle" class="copylinks">Matsumoto Castle , a Japanese Castle in Nagano Prefecture |
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Image:Sunset Of The Forbidden City 2006JPG
| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Forbidden_City" class="copylinks">The Forbidden City : North-western angle |
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Image:Angkor-Wat-from-the-airJPG
| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Angkor_Vat" class="copylinks">Angkor Vat seen from helicopter |
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