earthworks
Sculpted terrain barriers
Earthworks are large-scale constructions made by moving and shaping soil—defensive fortifications like ramparts and trenches, or ancient ceremonial mounds.
Military earthworks provided protection before concrete bunkers: The soldiers dug earthworks through the night.
The term also covers modern earth-moving projects: excavation, grading, and landscaping that reshape terrain for construction.
Fortified defensive wall
- embankmentRaised earth structure
- trenchLong narrow excavation
- parapetLow wall at edge
- bastionFortified defensive position
redoubt · bulwark · entrenchment · moat · ditch · berm · breastwork · glacis
Act of unearthing
- embankmentRaised earth structure
- gradingAssigning marks to work
- compactionReducing volume through pressure
- backfillReplacing excavated material
foundation · levee · dike · drainage · stabilization · geotechnical · surveying · fill
Act of unearthing
- moundsHeaps of earth
- trenchesElongated ground excavations
- artifactsHuman-made historical objects
- burialsPlacing dead underground
settlements · prehistoric · stratigraphy · digs · barrows · tumuli · hillforts · henges
Assigning marks to work
- contouringShaping with highlights, shadows
- bermsRaised earth ledges
- terracingCutting slopes into steps
- moundsHeaps of earth
swales · ha-ha · landform · reclamation · topsoil · levelling · drainage · permaculture
rampart
Fortified defensive wall
- embankmentRaised earth structure
- trenchLong narrow excavation
- parapetLow wall at edge
bastion · redoubt · bulwark · entrenchment · moat · ditch · berm · breastwork · glacis · scarp
excavation
Act of unearthing
- embankmentRaised earth structure
- gradingAssigning marks to work
- compactionReducing volume through pressure
backfill · foundation · levee · dike · drainage · stabilization · geotechnical · surveying · fill · spoil
excavation
Act of unearthing
burials · settlements · prehistoric · stratigraphy · digs · barrows · tumuli · hillforts · henges · neolithic
grading
Assigning marks to work
- contouringShaping with highlights, shadows
- bermsRaised earth ledges
- terracingCutting slopes into steps
mounds · swales · ha-ha · landform · reclamation · topsoil · levelling · drainage · permaculture
excavator
Machine that digs earth
- bulldozerBladed vehicle pushing earth
- backhoeHinged-arm excavating machine
- graderOne who assigns scores
loader · compactor · scraper · trencher · earthmover · dragline · steamroller
- Asian PrehistoryPaleolithic, Bronze Age, Chalcolithic, hunter-gatherers, stone tools
- DenmarkDanish, Copenhagen, Danes, Danish flag, Greenland
- prehistorystone tools, Neolithic, Stone Age, caveman, cavemen
- ancient artifactsjade mask, Viking sword, bronze sculptures, antiquities, Roman coin
- bordersborder, boundary, border crossing, national borders, boundary line
- fortificationsfort, fortress, fortresses, citadel, citadels
earthworksstone walls
Refuses to cooperate
masonry · stonework · steel structures · brick walls · palisades