109
edits
Changes
mLine 11:
Line 11: − +
→Fort Mountain, Georgia
===Fort Mountain, Georgia===
===Fort Mountain, Georgia===
Fort Mountain's name derives from an ancient rock wall which protects the highest point of the mountain. The wall, which extends 885 feet, is seven feet in height at its tallest point and shows evidence of being much higher when first built. It is up to 12 feet wide, with 29 pits scattered at intervals along its length, and no wall like it exists anywhere in the Southeastern States. Archaeology suggests that the ancient fortification long predates the Cherokees who lived there in the 1700s.
Fort Mountain's name derives from an ancient rock wall which protects the highest point of the mountain. The wall, which extends 885 feet, is seven feet in height at its tallest point and shows evidence of being much higher when first built. It is up to 12 feet wide, with 29 pits scattered at regular intervals along its length, and no wall like it exists anywhere in the Southeastern States. Archaeology suggests that the ancient fortification long predates the Cherokees who lived there in the 1700s.
The Cherokees called the wall-builders "moon-eyed people," because they could see better at night than by day. They were said to be fair of skin, have blonde hair and blue eyes. Currently, most scholars believe that the wall originated about 1100A.D. and has a religious purpose. The state of Georgia has erected a monument at the base of the summit describing how Madog arrived in Mobile Bay around 1170 and moved north from there. The wall appears to have been built by Welsh Explorers as a fortification against hostile Indians and for ancient ceremonies. Several petroglyphs support this theory<ref> Deacon, Richard, 1966, ''Madoc and the Discovery of America: Some New Light on an Old Controversy'', George Braziller </ref>.
The Cherokees called the wall-builders "moon-eyed people," because they could see better at night than by day. They were said to be fair of skin, have blonde hair and blue eyes. Currently, most scholars believe that the wall originated about 1100A.D. and has a religious purpose. The state of Georgia has erected a monument at the base of the summit describing how Madog arrived in Mobile Bay around 1170 and moved north from there. The wall appears to have been built by Welsh Explorers as a fortification against hostile Indians and for ancient ceremonies. Several petroglyphs support this theory<ref> Deacon, Richard, 1966, ''Madoc and the Discovery of America: Some New Light on an Old Controversy'', George Braziller </ref>.