Roman and Byzantine fortifications

>>2647837
I don't know much about this but I believe the Romans made what could be considered the first castles during the later empire. IIRC Constantine built a series of large forts in Gaul, along the border of Germania, and these were made mostly out of stone and had great big towers. I think this type of fortress carried and evolved on in the eastern empire which was eventually passed back west around the time of the crusades which is why we have stuff like Stirling castle in Britain.

>>2647837
Define castle? The nature of warfare was very different ie. much larger armies, less power given on the aristocracy. So a castle as people know in the west didn't really exist. The western, namely English or French castle was usually (and I do say "usually" knowing that there are some exceptions) was for protecting an aristocratic family with a central keep mediating between a military structure and a civilian structure. The majority of castles in the Byzantine empire had one primary function, provide housing and support to the army hence their design was much more adapted to that. The central ughhh for the lack of a better term "keep" was smaller but the over all walled area greater allowing for tents and other temporary structures to be erected inside.

>>2647837
Something interesting you should look at regarding Roman fortifications is the Saxon shore. They were a series of forts on the east coast of England to defend against raiding Saxons and they bear a good resemblance to medieval castles.

File: roman_walls_lugo.jpg (137KB, 800x532px) Image search: [Google]

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>>2647837
Powerful stone fortresses only started to be built by the Romans when they began to entrench themselves in the 3rd-4th centuries AD. Smaller detachments would be placed in the fortress with dozens of artillery weapons. After the fall of the empire in the west they became impossible to maintain though their ruins were still used by the various barbarian groups that took over.

>>2647953
Thanks for the info, where did they chiefly built them?

>>2647977
Thanks, I'll have a look.

>>2647984
How were the walls built and designed? Anything innovative?

File: 17820455_1631326283548136_1339661997_o.jpg (98KB, 1541x639px) Image search: [Google]

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>>2648134
>Thanks for the info, where did they chiefly built them?

Everywhere you'd except to see them in the west. Hard to access hilltops, plateaus, areas naturally surrounded by water, mountain passes and so on.