I am on day 2 of my away from Ashkelon adventure, and I have been visiting places that have things that we do not have at Ashkelon. In order to do that I am visiting places that are not as old as Ashkelon. Today I visited a place called Nimrod's Fortress, a big castle like building built on the top of a hill. While at the fortress, I noticed this interesting long, skinny hole in the corner of a room. My friend Lucy is standing near it.
Yesterday when I was at a cave castle at the Arbel Cliffs I saw the same thing. Here is a video:
What do you think this long opening is for? Remember, I am looking at old castles!
Junior Archaeology Assignment
The castles I am visiting are made out of rock. Can you build something out of rocks? Is it easy or difficult? Take a picture and send it me at nmoos@cps.edu.
Question of the Day
Both of the castles I visited were built high up on hills and into cliffs. Why do you think castles were built up high or into cliffs?
Update
on 2012-07-15 14:12 by Nichole Moos
Hi Friends!
Here is one of the friends who went on my field trip with me explaining to you what those holes were used for.
Those holes are called loopholes and are places that arrows were shot out of. They are skinning on the outside making it hard for enemies to shoot arrows into the castle and wider on the inside so that people inside the castle had room to shoot the arrows. The windows are about 4 feet tall and 4 inches wide on the outside. The places that I visited had already been excavated, and they have been restored (cleaned up and made to look like it did back when it was originally built). So, I am not discovering/finding anything for the first time, but I am seeing what other people have found. At each place I visit, when I enter they give me a map to follow so I can make sure to see all of the cool stuff that they have found. I will make sure to show the maps to you when we start school in fall.
Great thinking on why you might build a castle up on a hill. You are all right as to why they built their houses on hills. Would you like to live on a hill?
The castle on the hill I went to was called Nimrod Fortress and we saw where a moat once was, where the drawbridge was, towers, where they kept their water and secret tunnels. At the castle in the cliff, we saw different rooms and lots of stairs.