That's how you build a wall

A new study at the University of Haifa sheds light on the importance that city rulers in the Hellenistic and early Roman periods (mid-fourth century BC to the beginning of the second century AD) attributed to the issue of protection.

A new study at the University of Haifa sheds light on the importance that city rulers in the Hellenistic and early Roman periods (mid-fourth century BC to the beginning of the second century AD) attributed to the issue of protection. The research reveals that the ability to defend the city was more important than the proximity to a water source or convenient access roads and that the rulers already at that time invested the best technology and resources in fortifying the city.

"Even back then, the defending side had to invest more resources than the attacking side in order to adapt the fortification systems to the new attack weapon developments," noted Dr. Michael Isenberg, the editor of the study.

In the study, conducted under the direction of Prof. Arthur Segal, the researcher examined 13 descriptions of sieges of cities by the ancient historians and studied about 20 fortified cities from the aforementioned period in the Land of Israel and Asia Minor (today's western Turkey), placing special emphasis on the test case of Susita

The findings show that the cities at that time invested a lot of resources in protecting and fortifying the city, even in times of peace. "The findings at Susita show that the city maintained and even strengthened its fortifications even during the 'Roman Peace' period, a period of relative peace throughout the empire," noted Dr. Isenberg.

According to him, at that time the first condition for choosing the site for the establishment of the city was the natural defense capacity. Susita was built on the plateau of Mount Nisha to the east of the Kinneret, surrounded by cliffs and cut off from its surroundings by two certainties. The importance of the natural protection is even more evident in light of the fact that the location was not convenient in terms of access roads and was far from a water source. Despite the natural defense, the city walls surrounded the entire ridge and were built of the strong basalt stone, with guard and firing towers and special positions for the city's launching machines integrated along the walls. The archaeological find on the site shows that walls were also erected on the slopes to protect "dead areas". On one side of the main entrance gate to the city, a round artillery tower was built, apparently three stories tall, with its two upper stories carrying launchers aimed at the approach road. "Susita is a medium-small city and is not among the rich cities in this region of the Roman Empire. Despite this, she invested enormous resources in shielding using the latest construction methods imported from the Romans," the researcher noted.

The technology was mainly expressed in the construction of the bastion - a unique fortification that was erected in the center of the southern wall and controlled the only weak point of the city - the road from the south in the direction of the ascent to the main gate of the city. The base of the bastion is founded on huge basalt beams 1.8 m long, on top of which a series of vaults was erected. On top of the uniform surface created by the vaults, fortifications were erected that floated on the access road to the city - the only way through which the enemy could advance his siege machines. During the excavation conducted at the site, an opening was revealed in one of the vaults. According to Dr. Eisenberg, the Vaulted Hall was apparently used as a protected workshop to place one of the city's heavy launching machines: a 10 m long catapult, which was capable of launching catapults weighing about 15 kg to a distance of approximately 400 m. "Already in ancient times there was a 'competition' between the technological developments of the attacking side versus the technological developments of the defending side. As the attacking side's siege tools developed, so the defending side was forced to strengthen its fortifications, while investing enormous resources to withstand the arms race," concluded Dr. Isenberg.

Appendix: rules for siege (or the attacker) and besiege

* Do not open a siege system in the winter: moving mass forces of tens of thousands of fighters to the battlefield and supplying food and equipment is a complicated matter to the point of being impossible in the winter.
* It is better to attack during the day: maneuvering and commanding large forces at night can be a complicated problem. Surprise attacks by elite forces, on the other hand, are preferably carried out at night.
* Prepare the area for the attack: large forces and especially the heavy siege machines required the preparation of an easy and convenient crossing route. For this, the area needs to be burned, leveled, stoned and flattened ahead of time.
* Take care of professional craftsmen: building siege machines requires skilled professionals. Make sure you have such craftsmen - your own or those you have hired for this purpose.

* Build walls of the "last moment": the construction of additional walls to the main one even during the siege itself proved its effectiveness and all qualified citizens of the city should be helped for this purpose.
* Evacuate the population unfit for combat: children, women and the elderly constitute a heavy burden, mainly due to the need to share with them the scarce food supply even so. If you were not able to evacuate them, the aid has to help them with logistical operations such as transferring raw materials, building walls or supplying equipment.
* War tactics: feigned surrender is a good way for the besieged side to create an opportunity and hurt the enemy.