Curtain wall



A is a  between two s or s of a, , or town.

Ancient fortifications
Evidence for curtain walls or a series of walls surrounding a town or fortress can be found in the historical sources from Assyria and Egypt. Some notable examples are ancient in Israel and  in Egypt. Curtain walls were built across Europe during the ; the early 5th century of  influenced the builders of medieval castles many centuries later.

Curtain wall castles
In medieval castles, the area surrounded by a curtain wall, with or without towers, is known as the. The outermost walls with their integrated bastions and s together make up the or main defensive line enclosing the site.

In medieval designs of castle and town, the curtain walls (die) were often built to a considerable height and were fronted by a or  to make assault difficult. Walls were topped with s which consisted of a, which was generally crenellated with s to protect the defenders and lower crenels or s which allowed them to shoot from behind cover; merlons were sometimes pierced by loopholes or s for better protection. Behind the parapet was a from which the defenders could fight or move from one part of the castle to another. Larger curtain walls were provided with mural passages or galleries built into the thickness of the walls and provided with arrowslits. If an enemy reached the foot of the wall, they became difficult to see or shoot at directly, so some walls were fitted with a projecting wooden platform called a or. Stone s performed a similar function.

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