8mo ago

In castle/fortress design, what do you call the wall placed immediately inside the gates that prevents the enemy from having a straight shot into your fortress?

You see something similar in the entranceway to public bathrooms that don't have doors, where it kind of zig-zags for privacy. I'm trying to figure out what this kind of architectural feature is called. Thanks!

7 comments

Titulum is correct. You could call it a chicane if you want a word more people know.

https://gwern.net/doc/history/2007-keeley.pdf
End of page 62 and all of 63 - looks like a "screened" baffled gate.
"Titulum" is the name of that specific wall.
- I found a Wikipedia article that expands on motivations for the design: Titulus_(fortification)
  The description in the wiki article and the orientation of the diagrams on page 63 of the Keeley document convince me that the ~~more common arrangement was to place the detatched screening wall segment on the exterior of the curtain with an~~ interior version sometimes used either instead of or in addition to the exterior screen.
  Edit: I think I read the pg63 diagram orientations wrong, so I think my point is mostly that it can be either inside or outside, and that this whole PDF is really cool.

My friends and I all just call that a wall

The initial defensive entrance of a castle was called a barbican, I'm not sure if that wall you're describing would be considered as part of the barbican or maybe it has its own specific name. It's like a chicane almost

I don't think I've ever seen this in a fort. Usually they would extend the wall outward and place a barbican (a fortified external gatehouse) in front of the regular gate.

I don't know, and I spent way too long trying to figure it out.

7 comments