fortified city
Defended urban settlement
A fortified city is a city protected by defensive structures—walls, ramparts, moats, or similar barriers.
The term usually refers to historical settlements built to withstand siege: The fortified city held out for months against the invaders.
In biblical and ancient contexts, fortified cities were strategic military and economic centers.
- bastionFortified defensive position
- barbicanOuter defensive tower
- siegeEncirclement forcing surrender
- siege warfareSurrounding fortifications to force capitulation
- boiling oilHeated fat for warfare
under siege · medieval · garrison · parapet · Mesopotamian · sally port · trebuchet · ancient · stronghold · castle keep · moat · enceinte · battering ram · curtain wall · acropolis · high ground · gatehouse · drawbridge
- fortificationsfort, fortresses, citadels, castle, bastion