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Machicolation
A machicolation (french: mâchicoulis) is a floor opening between the supporting corbels of a battlement, through which stones or other material, such as boiling water, hot sand, quicklime or boiling cooking oil, could be dropped on attackers at the base of a defensive wall. A smaller version found on smaller structures is called a box-machicolation. Terminology The structures are thought to have originated as Crusader imitations of mashrabiya. The word derives from the Old French word ''machecol'', mentioned in Medieval Latin as ''machecollum'', probably from Old French ''machier'' 'crush', 'wound' and ''col'' 'neck'. ''Machicolate'' is only recorded in the 18th century in English, but a verb ''machicollāre'' is attested in Anglo-Latin. Both the Spanish and Portuguese words denoting this structure (''matacán'' and ''mata-cães'', respectively), are similarly composed from "matar canes" meaning roughly "killing dogs", the latter word being a slur referring to infidels.V ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Machicolations (PSF)
A machicolation (french: mâchicoulis) is a floor opening between the supporting corbels of a battlement, through which stones or other material, such as boiling water, hot sand, quicklime or boiling cooking oil, could be dropped on attackers at the base of a defensive wall. A smaller version found on smaller structures is called a box-machicolation. Terminology The structures are thought to have originated as Crusader imitations of mashrabiya. The word derives from the Old French word ''machecol'', mentioned in Medieval Latin as ''machecollum'', probably from Old French ''machier'' 'crush', 'wound' and ''col'' 'neck'. ''Machicolate'' is only recorded in the 18th century in English, but a verb ''machicollāre'' is attested in Anglo-Latin. Both the Spanish and Portuguese words denoting this structure (''matacán'' and ''mata-cães'', respectively), are similarly composed from "matar canes" meaning roughly "killing dogs", the latter word being a slur referring to infidels.Vill ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Machicolation Of Wejter Tower
A machicolation (french: mâchicoulis) is a floor opening between the supporting corbels of a battlement, through which stones or other material, such as boiling water, hot sand, quicklime or boiling cooking oil, could be dropped on attackers at the base of a defensive wall. A smaller version found on smaller structures is called a box-machicolation. Terminology The structures are thought to have originated as Crusader imitations of mashrabiya. The word derives from the Old French word ''machecol'', mentioned in Medieval Latin as ''machecollum'', probably from Old French ''machier'' 'crush', 'wound' and ''col'' 'neck'. ''Machicolate'' is only recorded in the 18th century in English, but a verb ''machicollāre'' is attested in Anglo-Latin. Both the Spanish and Portuguese words denoting this structure (''matacán'' and ''mata-cães'', respectively), are similarly composed from "matar canes" meaning roughly "killing dogs", the latter word being a slur referring to infidels.Vill ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Corbel
In architecture, a corbel is a structural piece of stone, wood or metal jutting from a wall to carry a superincumbent weight, a type of bracket. A corbel is a solid piece of material in the wall, whereas a console is a piece applied to the structure. A piece of timber projecting in the same way was called a "tassel" or a "bragger" in England. The technique of corbelling, where rows of corbels deeply keyed inside a wall support a projecting wall or parapet, has been used since Neolithic (New Stone Age) times. It is common in medieval architecture and in the Scottish baronial style as well as in the vocabulary of classical architecture, such as the modillions of a Corinthian cornice. The corbel arch and corbel vault use the technique systematically to make openings in walls and to form ceilings. These are found in the early architecture of most cultures, from Eurasia to Pre-Columbian architecture. A console is more specifically an "S"-shaped scroll bracket in the classica ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Corbels
In architecture, a corbel is a structural piece of stone, wood or metal jutting from a wall to carry a superincumbent weight, a type of bracket. A corbel is a solid piece of material in the wall, whereas a console is a piece applied to the structure. A piece of timber projecting in the same way was called a "tassel" or a "bragger" in England. The technique of corbelling, where rows of corbels deeply keyed inside a wall support a projecting wall or parapet, has been used since Neolithic (New Stone Age) times. It is common in medieval architecture and in the Scottish baronial style as well as in the vocabulary of classical architecture, such as the modillions of a Corinthian cornice. The corbel arch and corbel vault use the technique systematically to make openings in walls and to form ceilings. These are found in the early architecture of most cultures, from Eurasia to Pre-Columbian architecture. A console is more specifically an "S"-shaped scroll bracket in the classical tr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tal-Wejter Tower
Tal-Wejter Tower ( mt, Torri tal-Wejter - It-Torri Wejter) is a tower in Birkirkara, Malta, which was built in the early 18th century by the Order of Saint John. It is also known locally as ''it-Torri tal-Misħun'' (English: ''Boiling Water Tower''), a reference to its machicolations which are known as ''galleriji tal-misħun'' in Maltese. The tower was partially demolished in the 1960s, but it was later rebuilt. Today, it is in a rather dilapidated state. History The area where the tower is found was known as Għassiewi, meaning guarded place. Till the late 20th century, the community was known as Tal-Wejter. The nearby valley was known as Tal-Wejter Valley. Tal-Wejter Tower was commissioned by Grand Master Ramon Perellos y Roccaful, and it was built in the early 18th century. The tower stood on the road leading from San Ġwann and St. Julian's to Birkirkara. This area is now built up and the tower is surrounded by modern buildings. The tower was built to watch over the inland ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Conwy Castle
Conwy Castle ( cy, Castell Conwy; ) is a fortification in Conwy, located in North Wales. It was built by Edward I, during his conquest of Wales, between 1283 and 1287. Constructed as part of a wider project to create the walled town of Conwy, the combined defences cost around £15,000, a huge sum for the period. Over the next few centuries, the castle played an important part in several wars. It withstood the siege of Madog ap Llywelyn in the winter of 1294–95, acted as a temporary haven for Richard II in 1399 and was held for several months by forces loyal to Owain Glyndŵr in 1401. Following the outbreak of the English Civil War in 1642, the castle was held by forces loyal to Charles I, holding out until 1646 when it surrendered to the Parliamentary armies. In the aftermath, the castle was partially slighted by Parliament to prevent it being used in any further revolt, and was finally completely ruined in 1665 when its remaining iron and lead was stripped and sold off. C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hoarding (castle)
A hoard or hoarding was a temporary wooden shed-like construction on the exterior of a castle during a siege that enabled the defenders to improve their field of fire along the length of a wall and, most particularly, directly downwards towards the bottom of the wall.Hull, Lisa E (2006)''Britain's Medieval Castles'' Praeger Publishers, (p. 67) The latter function was the purpose of the invention of machicolations, which were an improvement on hoardings, not least because masonry is fire proof. Machicolations are also permanent and always ready for a siege. It is suspected that hoardings were stored as prefabricated elements in peacetime. Construction of hoardings was often facilitated by putlog holes, sockets that were left in the masonry of castle walls for wooden joists called "putlogs". However, some hoardings were supported on permanent stone corbels. Some medieval hoardings have survived, including examples on the north tower of Stokesay Castle, England, and the keep of L ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Battlement
A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (i.e., a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at intervals to allow for the launch of arrows or other projectiles from within the defences. These gaps are termed " crenels" (also known as ''carnels'', or '' embrasures''), and a wall or building with them is called crenellated; alternative (older) terms are castellated and embattled. The act of adding crenels to a previously unbroken parapet is termed crenellation. The function of battlements in war is to protect the defenders by giving them something to hide behind, from which they can pop out to launch their own missiles. A defensive building might be designed and built with battlements, or a manor house might be fortified by adding battlements, where no parapet previously existed, or cutting crenellations into its existing parapet wall. A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hoarding (castles)
A hoard or hoarding was a temporary wooden shed-like construction on the exterior of a castle during a siege that enabled the defenders to improve their field of fire along the length of a wall and, most particularly, directly downwards towards the bottom of the wall.Hull, Lisa E (2006)''Britain's Medieval Castles'' Praeger Publishers, (p. 67) The latter function was the purpose of the invention of machicolations, which were an improvement on hoardings, not least because masonry is fire proof. Machicolations are also permanent and always ready for a siege. It is suspected that hoardings were stored as prefabricated elements in peacetime. Construction of hoardings was often facilitated by putlog holes, sockets that were left in the masonry of castle walls for wooden joists called "putlogs". However, some hoardings were supported on permanent stone corbels. Some medieval hoardings have survived, including examples on the north tower of Stokesay Castle, England, and the keep of L ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Captain's Tower
Captain's Tower ( mt, Torri tal-Kaptan) is a tower in Naxxar, Malta. It was built sometime after 1548 by the Order of Saint John. Today, the tower is in good condition. History The Captain's Tower was built by the Order of Saint John to house the captain of the Naxxar militia. It was built during the tenure of Jean Parisot de Valette, after the Order of St. John unsuccessfully tried to requisition the nearby Gauci Tower in 1548. The Captain's Tower is one of the earliest Hospitaller fortifications in Malta. The tower's design is similar to the Gauci Tower as well as earlier Hospitaller towers in Rhodes. The tower consists of a square plan with three floors. It contains a number of box machicolations, and a ''columbaria'' which housed carrier pigeons to relay messages to Mdina or Valletta. The tower and the house built with it were used as a temporary hospital during the plague epidemic of 1675-6. The Captain's Tower lost most of its defensive value by the late 17th century ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gauci Tower
Gauci Tower ( mt, Torri Gauci, it, Torre Gauci) is a tower in Naxxar, Malta. It was built before 1548 by the Gauci family. Today, the tower is in good condition. History Gauci Tower was built sometime before 1548 by Francesco Gauci to protect his family from corsair raids. Construction cost a total of 400 scudi. In 1548, it was requisitioned by the Order of Saint John, who ruled the Maltese Islands, to house the Captain of the Naxxar militia. Gauci petitioned against this move, and the tower was returned to him on 16 May 1548. Eventually, the Order built the nearby Captain's Tower to house the Captain of the militia. The tower is quite small, and it has a square plan, with its lower half being slightly more pronounced. A number of box machicolations are located at the crest of its high parapet A parapet is a barrier that is an extension of the wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cavalier Tower
Cavalier Tower ( mt, Torri tal-Kavalier), also known as Qrendi Tower ( mt, Torri tal-Qrendi) or Captain's Tower ( mt, Torri tal-Kaptan), and previously as Ellul Preziosi Tower ( mt, Torri Ellul Preziosi), is a tower in the town of Qrendi, Malta. It was built in the late medieval or early Hospitaller period, and it is one of the oldest surviving towers in Malta. History No records exist on the date of construction of Cavalier Tower. It was possibly built in the late medieval period, when Malta was still part of the Kingdom of Sicily. If this is correct, it would be the only surviving medieval tower in Malta, apart from the ruins of a circular tower in Xlendi. Other historians believe that the tower was built in the 16th or 17th century by the Order of Saint John. It is situated near a 16th-century property, built in 1585. In the 17th century, the tower and residence were modified, when the tower lost most of its defensive architecture. Cavalier Tower was named as such since it ho ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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