La Tranchée des Portes

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The biggest fortified town in Iron Age Belgium, covering an area of 100 hectares, can be found in Etalle.Unlike Montauban, which was only occupied from time to time, the Tranchée des Portes (Trench of the Gates) was not a refuge but rather an oppidum, meaning a fortified site where people lived long term with their livestock and crops. This fortification owes its name to the deep trench (5 metres) in front of its walls. Consisting of an embankment of over 3 metres, which would have had a fence at the top, this blockade stretched for more than 1km with three gates. This type of defensive site is called a barred spur. It was often used in the protohistoric period (iron age).

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