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Walls As in
most other periods, walls and towers were the primary means of
defense for fortresses. Moabite Iron Age fortresses typically
had solid outer walls, which were massive, thick, and built of
large, quarried stone. Iron Age walls at Mudaybic were at least
one and a half meter thick (more excavations need to be done to
fully analyze Mudaybic’s outer walls).
 A few
sites in the area may have had casemate walls. A casemate wall
structure was two solid, parallel walls connected at intervals
by traversing walls, thereby creating rooms between the walls.
The spaces between the walls could
be filled with debris for added protection. This type of
construction was frequently used in Israel but seemed to be much
less common in Jordan. Although a little north of the Moabite
region, excavations at Tell Jawa and at Khirbat al-Mudayna
revealed casemate walls. Discovery of casemate walls
demonstrates that the technology certainly was available.
Ancient people usually built the walls to conform to the
terrain. Walls at Akuzeh follow the slopes of the hill. However,
since the ancient people built Mudaybic in a relatively flat area
on top of a ridge, the walls are straight and almost form a
square (about 88 x 85 meters). [
Photo]
The volute capitals of Mudaybi<sup>c</sup>
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Last Updated on
10/25/2002 08:49 AM
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