Defensive wall
Fortifications enclosing settlements from ancient to modern times.
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To safeguard a city, town, or other settlement against attackers, a fortification known as a defensive wall is often employed.[1]
Quick Facts
- Earliest known example
- Jericho
- West Bank
- 8th millennium BC
- Earliest known in europe
- Solnitsata, 6th or 5th millennium BC
- Materials
- masonry
- brick
- timber
- rammed earth
- stone
- Notable examples
- Great Wall of China
- Walls of Benin
- Hadrian's Wall
- Aurelian Walls
- Theodosian Walls
- Primary purpose
- protection of settlements from aggressors
Facts from the source article.
Key facts and history
Large rammed earth walls were built in ancient China since the Shang dynasty.[2] The capital at ancient Ao had enormous walls built in this fashion.[2] The star fort became popular in Europe during the 16th century.[3] Among the earliest known walled cities globally is Uruk, located in ancient Sumer.[4]
Around 3500 BC, the Indus floodplain was populated by numerous small agricultural settlements.[5] At Kot Diji, houses constructed from stone and mud brick were situated behind substantial stone flood dykes and defensive walls.[5] Parts of the Great Wall were erected before the Qin dynasty, and it was during that dynasty that these sections were linked and strengthened.[2] The Roman Empire represents the peak of wall construction in Europe, with their walls frequently attaining a height of 10 meters.[6]
What the research sources say
Towns in Burma had city walls by 1566.[7][8][9] Burma is a notable exception, possessing a more ancient custom of fortified, walled towns.[7][8][9] In 1755, Rangoon was defended by stockades built from teak logs placed on an earthen rampart.[7][8][9] That city was defended by six gates, each one having large brick towers on either side.[7][8][9]
References
- Wikipedia, "Defensive wall" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Caves, "Encyclopedia of the City", Routledge, 2004, p. 756 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Defensive wall" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Lorge 2008, p. 43; Andrade 2016, p. 103 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Defensive wall" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Nolan 2006, p. 67 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Defensive wall" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Ancient fortifications History Research Starters EBSCO Research", EBSCO (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Defensive wall" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: The Encyclopedia of World History: ancient, medieval, and modern, chronologically arranged By Peter N. Stearns, William Leonard Langer. Compiled by William L La (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Defensive wall" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Andrade 2016, p. 103; Andrade 2016, p. 103; Andrade 2016, p. 103; Purton 2009, p. 363 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Defensive wall" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Hla, "Traditional Town Planning in Burma", Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, 1978, p. 92, 97–98; Reid, "Southeast Asia in the Age of Commerce, 1450–1680. Vol. 2: Expansion and Crisis", The Journal of Economic History, 1993, p. 78, 84, 86–88 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Robert J. Donia, "Southeast Asia in the Age of Commerce, 1450–1680. Vol. 2: Expansion and Crisis. By Anthony Reid. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1993. Pp. xv, 390. $35.00.", The Journal of Economic History (1994), doi:10.1017/s0022050700015679. OpenAlex metadata CC0; paper not read. doi.org
- U Kan Hla, "Traditional Town Planning in Burma", Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians (1978), doi:10.2307/989177. OpenAlex metadata CC0; paper not read. doi.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Defensive wall (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Defensive wall (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Word definitions: the Codexery glossary, each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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