What are the uses of a moat?

What are the uses of a moat?

The purpose of a moat was primarily to protect the castle from attack. As a defense mechanism, moats were very effective. Although they’re usually depicted as wide, deep bodies of water, moats were often simply dry ditches.

Did they actually put alligators in moats?

Castle moats were usually between 5 and 40 feet deep, and they were not always filled with water. In many stories, moats are filled with alligators or crocodiles. This is a myth. However, moats were sometimes filled with fish or eels for food.

What was moat around a castle used for?

A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices.

How did they build moats around castles?

It was simply dug out by manual labor. The Romans would take the dirt dug out from the ditch (moat) and use that dirt to form a berm wall. The Normans took this idea and used the dirt to build the Motte portion of a Motte & Bailey castle. A more elaborate moat might have stone revetment made from crushed stone or wood.

Did moats exist?

Moats were excavated around castles and other fortifications as part of the defensive system as an obstacle immediately outside the walls. A moat made access to the walls difficult for siege weapons such as siege towers and battering rams, which needed to be brought up against a wall to be effective.

How did they make moats around castles?

Moats were one of the earliest forms of fortification. It was simply dug out by manual labor. The Romans would take the dirt dug out from the ditch (moat) and use that dirt to form a berm wall. The Normans took this idea and used the dirt to build the Motte portion of a Motte & Bailey castle.

How was a castle built with a moat?

The Normans built these castles by erecting a keep on a high mound of earth. A ditch then ran to the bottom of this hill-like structure. This eventually evolved into a proper moat which was essentially a long, wide and deep ditch running all around the periphery of castle walls.