Location and Moats
Location played a key role in the effectiveness of a fortress. Ancient people chose the placement of fortresses based upon their strategic requirements, surrounding geography, and available natural resources. One of the first considerations in choosing a location to build a fortress was strategic requirement. The idea was to situate the fortress in the best possible place to protect and defend one’s territory and people and to deny the enemy access into the area. Such places were near borders of one’s territory, near major highways and passes, around or inside major cities, and near resource depots.
View of Akuzeh looking south
After a people determined that a fortress was necessary within a area, then they had to decide the best precise geographical location. Several determining factors include the lay of land and natural resources. Ideally, the fortress would be located on a precipice—a knoll or a ridge. A precipice allowed for good observation of enemy movements in the area and was easier to defend due to natural slopes. Mudaybic’and Akuzeh are located at the end of a spur of a ridge overlooking an area where the inhabitants expected the enemy to approach. Both sites have three slopes that provide natural protection. Mudaybic overlooks the Fajj al-`Usaykir, a flat valley connecting the desert with the Moabite Plateau. Akuzeh overlooks the Wadi al-Hasa, the southern border of the Moabite kingdom.
A strong fortress required an abundance of natural resources for building materials, such as a nearby stone outcropping for a quarry. The builders of Mudaybi’ used basalt from an ancient lava flow located on the same hill as the fortress and limestone blocks quarried from a neighboring hillside.
Moats
Note the moat between the fortress and the hill.
A few Iron Age Moabite sites had moats, artificial ditches, as an added means of protection. Akuzeh, situated at the end of the spur of a hill, had three steep slopes to protect the site from the west, north, and south sides but was easily accessible from the east. Therefore, the ancient builders dug a moat across the east side, from ravine to ravine, thereby isolating the fortress. Unlike many European medieval castle moats, this moat was not intended to hold water. The ditch was difficult to cross and constituted the protection itself. A similar moat cut into bedrock was found at Khirbet Mdeinet el-Mu`arrajeh on the south side of the site.