Rival Mississippian chiefdoms constantly threatened one another, and warfare was a way of life for most men as warriors probably increased their status through military valor and promotion through the ranks. One theory holds that a strong chief bullied weaker neighbors and established his lineage's dominance by destroying their political and religious authority, making protection of the town and its rulers essential. Around AD 1200, Moundville Indians built a fortified wall or palisade around Moundville to safeguard the community and its regime. The palisade enclosed the site on three sides, with one end at the Black Warrior River and the other at a deeply entrenched creek along the eastern side, while the remaining sides could be guarded from a bluff and steep ravines along the creek. Built with methods like those used for house walls but on a larger scale, the palisade was made by digging a deep trench, setting large upright timbers side by side, and plastering the wall with clay. It was about 1.3 miles long and perhaps 10 to 12 feet tall, with square guard towers or bastions projecting about every 100 feet so archers could watch anyone approaching, while maze-like gate walls slowed visitors for inspection by guards. Some evidence suggests an additional trench or dry moat may have lined outside portions of the wall. After several rebuilding episodes, the palisade was abandoned around AD 1300. As many as 30,000 mature trees may have been used to build and maintain it over its 100 year life span, with deteriorated sections replaced by digging new parallel trenches, erecting new walls, and tying them into existing sections. The structure remained so substantial that its remains were still visible when a scientist visited Moundville in 1869, more than 400 years after the site was abandoned.