deployable deffences and forts

[Dicer]

First I'm curious as to what armies would use as deployable defences in this period stakes in the ground perhaps? Or dead pits second is there any confermation as to building forts on the campaign map ?

[Wodeson]

The Marian Romans liked to dig in a lot, using ditches and palisades as temporary field works, along with spiked pits and caltrops. In fact most factions used the basic ditch and palisade at various times, mostly to fortify their marching camp. The Romans just tended to do it more extensively, to protect flanks or artillery positions, or to lay siege.

The Polybian Romans were noted for using a particular type of stake with a few branches left on that could be intertwined with other stakes to create a barrier that was harder to uproot than straight cut stakes.

Celts might plash a forest edge to create a barrier or use a wagon lager. Germans might use felled trees to create obstacles to cut off escape from an ambush.

[Dicer]

Cool so theses special stakes the romans used were how height would you say ? I mean could a health horse make the jump ? Sounds to me like ancient barbwire

[Wodeson]

Typically they would dig a ditch, and use the dug earth to create a rampart, and then plant the stakes along the ridge to create fence perhaps 3 to 4 feet high. Cavalry typically dismounted to assault it.

The Late Republican and Early Imperial used a standardized stake called a Sudis: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudis_%28stake%29