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A barbican (from fro, barbacane) is a fortified outpost or fortified gateway, such as at an outer defense perimeter of a city or castle, or any tower situated over a gate or bridge which was used for defensive purposes.
here
. Paul Deschamps (1888–1974) interpreted the Arabic word 'bashura as used in 13th-century chronicles to mean barbican, a defensive structure placed ahead of a gate, but this has been debunked, 'bashura' denoting rather an entire section of the outer fortifications, which may include a barbican, but also a bastion, gate, tower, or all of those together.
Barbican
at Location Textures
Barbican, A Fortified Outpost Of Old Town Of Krakow, Poland
on DreamSite
Krakow Barbican – The Last Remains of the City’s Medieval Defences
on Absolute Tours
Barbican
on
Castle Barbican
on Medieval Chronicles
on Ancient Fortresses Barbicans {{fort-stub
A barbican (from fro, barbacane) is a fortified outpost or fortified gateway, such as at an outer defense perimeter of a city or castle, or any tower situated over a gate or bridge which was used for defensive purposes.
Europe
In the Middle Ages, barbicans were typically situated outside the main line of defenses, and were connected to the city walls with a walled road called ''the neck''. In the 15th century, with the improvement in siege tactics andartillery
Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieg ...
, barbicans lost their significance. Barbicans were built well into the 16th century. Fortified or mock-fortified gatehouses remained a feature of ambitious French and English residences well into the 17th century. Portuguese medieval fortification nomenclature uses barbican to describe any wall outside of and lower than the main defensive wall that forms a second barrier. The barrier may be complete, extensive or only protect particularly weak areas. The more restrictive term ''gate barbican'' is used for structures protecting gates.
Islamic world
The origin of the English word barbican is thought to be found in either Persian or Arabic (see here ohere
. Paul Deschamps (1888–1974) interpreted the Arabic word 'bashura as used in 13th-century chronicles to mean barbican, a defensive structure placed ahead of a gate, but this has been debunked, 'bashura' denoting rather an entire section of the outer fortifications, which may include a barbican, but also a bastion, gate, tower, or all of those together.
East Asia
Fortifications inEast Asia
East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Korea ...
also feature similar high structures. In particular, gates in Chinese city walls were often defended by an additional "archery tower" in front of the main gatehouse, with the two towers connected by walls extending out from the main fortification. Literally called " jar walls", they are often referred to as "barbicans" in English.
See also
* Gatehouse * Kraków Barbican * Warsaw Barbican * Saint Laurence Gate, Drogheda * Wall of VilniusReferences
* *External links
* *Barbican
at Location Textures
Barbican, A Fortified Outpost Of Old Town Of Krakow, Poland
on DreamSite
Krakow Barbican – The Last Remains of the City’s Medieval Defences
on Absolute Tours
Barbican
on
Encyclopædia Britannica
The ( Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; the company has existed since the 18th century, although it has changed ownership various ...
Castle Barbican
on Medieval Chronicles
on Ancient Fortresses Barbicans {{fort-stub