Machicolation
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In architecture, a machicolation (Template:Langx) is an opening between the supporting corbels of a battlement through which defenders can target attackers who have reached the base of the defensive wall. A smaller related structure that only protects key points of a fortification is referred to as a bretèche. Machicolation, hoarding, bretèches, and murder holes are all similar defensive features serving the same purpose: to enable defenders atop a defensive structure to target attackers below. The primary benefit of the design is to allow defenders to remain behind cover rather than being exposed when leaning over the parapet. They were common in defensive fortifications until the widespread adoption of gunpowder weapons made them obsolete.
Etymology
The word machicolation derives from Old French Script error: No such module "Lang"., mentioned in Medieval Latin as Script error: No such module "Lang"., probably from Old French Script error: No such module "Lang". 'crush', 'wound' and Script error: No such module "Lang". 'neck'.[1] The verb Machicolate is first recorded in English in the 18th century, but machicollāre is attested in Anglo-Latin.[2][page needed]
Origins and regional prevalence
The oldest known buildings with machicolation are Ancient Roman fortifications of the Limes Arabicus, such as Qasr Bshir and Qasr al-Hallabat, dating from the 4th century AD.[3] The design was brought to Europe from the Levant following the crusades and became especially prevalent in Southern Europe.
Machicolations were more common in French castles than English, where they are usually restricted to the gateway, as in the 13th-century Conwy Castle.[4] Within France, machicolation is more common on southern castles. One of the oldest extant examples of machicolation in northern France is at Château de Farcheville, which was built from 1290 to 1304.[5] Template:Parapet parts.svg
See also
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References
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- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Greimas (1987). A.-J; Dictionnaire de l'ancien français. Paris: Larousse. ISBN 2-03-340-302-5.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Hoad, T. F. (1986), English Etymology, Oxford University Press
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Arce, Ignacio (2008). "Qasr Hallabat, Qasr Bshir and Deir el Kahf. Building Techniques, Architectural Typology and Change of Use of Three Quadriburgia from the Limes Arabicus. Interpretation and Significance.". Arqueología de la construcción II - los procesos constructivos en el mundo romano: Italia y provincias orientales. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. pp. 455–481.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Brown, R. Allen (2004) [1954]. Allen Brown's English Castles. Woodbridge: The Boydell Press. p. 66. doi:10.1017/9781846152429. ISBN 1-84383-069-8.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Mesqui, Jean (1997). Châteaux forts et fortifications en France (in français). Paris: Flammarion. p. 493. ISBN 2-08-012271-1.
Further reading
- Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Harris, John (2009). "Machicolation: history and significance" (PDF). The Castle Studies Group Journal. 23: 191–214.
External links
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- Machicolation - Dictionary of French architecture from the 11th to the 16th century
- Glossary of Medieval Art and Architecture: machicolation.
- Machicolation
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