丘

[Yzlot]

Hi,

I'm having some trouble figuring out exactly what丘 is describing in this sentence.

This is a description of a fortress:
西方以外のすべての門は、塔や望楼などに守られ、北と南、各門の近くには、段々状に丘 を切り取って、砲兵陣地が設けられていた。

I had always thought of 丘 as a piece of naturally elevated land, though this sentence confuses me a bit. What does '丘' mean here? I'm leaning for one of these three.

1. 丘 refers to a portion of the fortress wall built taller than the rest
2. It's a portion of the wall built on top of a mound, thus elevating it
3. It's really just a big mound (supposedly behind the gates/walls)

 

[Mike Cash]

切り取って gives me the impression the hill was already there and they just shaped it to fit their needs.

 

[nekojita]

Veering slightly off topic, but Mike's post made me think of Maori hill forts. This seems to describe something of a similar nature (段々状 = terraced see related term 段々畑)