The example at Knock in County Clare is one such site, a rath, which is the Irish term for a roughly circular enclosure defined by an earthen bank and internal ditch, typically dating from the early medieval period between around 500 and 1000 AD. These structures served as enclosed farmsteads, the defended homes of farming families rather than military strongholds, and their circular banks were as much a statement of status as a practical barrier against cattle raiders or wolves.