Palisade

By Crusader1307

Basically, these were wooden defensive walls constructed around the perimeter of a village, settlement or military structure. Walls made from cut trees (or fashioned wooden planks) - and erected in a specified pattern, are some of the oldest defensive types in history (outside of the Cave). Often the Palisade wall was the only form of protection a village or town had. Cheap and easy to make, they only required trees and the manpower to construct. Of course, fire was their only weakness. Often, Palisades were incorporated into earthen breastworks or berms as a way to reinforce the walls. These forms of defense's  were popular with regards to colonies or related settlements. Most often, the tops of the wooden walls were spiked/sharpened. Towers, walkways and perches could easily be constructed into the Palisades as well. The Palisade is the forerunner to stone fortifications and structures.