The latest news from Ancient Egypt!
Dear All,
Welcome to our weekly Devblog!
In today's blog, we're going to talk about fortresses in Ancient Egypt, along with showing you defence structures in Builders of Egypt!
Egypt, a country devoid of natural protection, except for the deserts stretching to the east and west of the Nile Valley, was forced to build fortifications, which were an integral part of the country's landscape. Even sacred buildings, temples, and tombs were enriched with elements characteristic of defensive architecture, emphasizing their function as bastions of order and harmony, providing protection against the chaos surrounding everywhere. Towns and villages were surrounded by walls, reinforced with bastions spaced at equal intervals. Fortresses were constructed in strategic places for the defense of the country, and the borders were secured with a chain of observation towers (Predynastic Period). Moreover, the forts were established in places from which trade expeditions set out for the area of the mines. Others were erected at points convenient for loading goods onto the boats on which they were transported.
Fortresses were built by the Nile River or on the Nile River islands, and their architecture has always been adapted to the topography of the area. They could be square or triangular structures. Brick buildings referred to the traditions of defensive construction of earlier periods - massive walls were reinforced with bay windows and corner fortresses (flanks). In front of the main fortified wall, a smaller one with loopholes was erected. The fortress was often surrounded by a moat, and the entrance was defended by a massive gate.
In addition to defensive functions, the fortresses played the role of representative buildings, demonstrating the power of the Egyptian state to the Nubians. Temples constructed inside the fortresses spread the cult of the Egyptian gods and protected the country from the influx of foreign beliefs. The pinnacle of defense construction is the fortress in Buhen, which was also a settlement, located on the West bank of the Nile in present-day Sudan.
Hope you enjoyed our latest blog with a bit of historical context! Looking forward to your thoughts about today's introduction! Feel free to share them with us in the comments below, at Discord, or on Reddit!
Stay tuned and see you next week Egyptian Builders and Generals!
--- Your Team from Strategy Labs ---
More about Pharaoh's army:
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/818520/view/6048900423830388110
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/818520/view/6048900423830461020
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/818520/view/3104672693362010030
