Hellenistic fortifications are defense structures constructed during the

Hellenistic Period In Classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Mediterranean history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence of the Roman Empire, as signified by the Battle of Actium in ...

of ancient Greek civilization (323 - ca. 30 B.C.E.). These included

fortification A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere' ...

walls, towers, and gates. Expansion of Greek territory during the Hellenistic Period from

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip II to ...

's conquests created the necessity to build new fortifications with new settlements. This, combined with developing military technology, led to changes in style of architecture specific to the Hellenistic Period.

Historical Chronology

The Hellenistic Period was the period in Ancient Greek civilization from 323 - ca. 30 B.C.E.. It is marked by the death of

and ends with the rise of the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post- Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediter ...

. The period follows the conquests of Alexander the Great spreading Greek territory far into Egypt,

Asia Minor Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

, and the Middle East. The Hellenistic Period saw Greek territorial expansion at its greatest. Acquisition of new territory led to the movement of Greek people and influence throughout the Mediterranean. It also allowed for the rise of new cities. With a huge territory, being "Greek" became less of a geographic locator, and more a representation of personal cultural ties. Therefore architecture built during this time developed both a mix of canonical Greek elements and locally indigenous styles.

Fortification walls

The buildup of new cities required the build up of fortification walls. Fortification walls served multiple purposes for the Greeks. They served as a means of protection from invasion and as markers of territory. Walls were first constructed around the city's Acropolis, to ensure the safety of the most important part of Greek society—their sacred space. The extent to which the defensive walls protected only the city-center, or spread into the countryside, varied. The intensity of defense measures depended on a city's vulnerability and likelihood of attack. Therefore, it was common to see Greek civilizations purposefully located at naturally defensible locations such as mountains and rivers. These natural barriers sometimes prevented the need to build fortifications. Choosing geography as a means of defense only increased during the Hellenistic period with the development of colonies. When specifically looking to where to build a new city, rulers chose locations with defense in mind. An example of this can be seen at Mount Oreion,

Corinthia Corinthia ( el, Κορινθία ''Korinthía'') is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the modern regions of Greece, region of Peloponnese (region), Peloponnese. It is situated around the city of Corinth, in the north-eastern part ...

. Located on the important Corinthian isthmus, the Mount Oreion mountain range provided a natural barrier for the city. In low sloping planes, such as the sites of Stanotopi and

Maritsa Maritsa or Maritza ( bg, Марица ), also known as Meriç ( tr, Meriç ) and Evros ( ell, Έβρος ), is a river that runs through the Balkans in Southeast Europe. With a length of , At the start of the Hellenistic Period, towers were incorporated into the fortification walls. Moving through the Hellenistic Period, there was a shift to towers being constructed separate from the wall system. Circular or multi-angled towers would have been more difficult to incorporate into the flat-walled architecture. They were also separated due to their vulnerability to attack. If a cannon were to take down a separate tower, it would not effect the defensibility of the walls. This idea is seen specifically at Alinda, Karia. Original construction had the citadel connected in the city walls. A later construction purposefully brought the citadel outside the city defense fortifications, and away from the city center. This has been hypothesized as a decision to further protect the city, by keeping a potential military target away from the society.

Materials and construction

Hellenistic fortifications were built out of a variety of materials. The materials largely depended on what could be sourced locally. This provided the cheapest, most abundant option. Most common were ashlar block masonry and mud-brick. However, we also see

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

and stone filled with rubble. Mud-brick was common in colonies located around the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Rom ...

and Ionia. The process for mud-brick took materials of clay and water and then added sand to strengthen the consistency. The mixture was then placed in wooden molds and let to dry in the sun. In the Hellenistic period, the use of ashlar block style masonry developed. Here, blocks were evenly cut small and rectangular, to create the strongest individual block. Thus, creating stronger walls and towers. These construction projects were largely financed from public funds, rather than from individual donors as they were a public necessity.

Architecture

Colonies created during the Hellenistic period held an interesting mix of incorporating both Greek and foreign indigenous styles of Architecture. A majority of settlements around the Black Sea were founded by Milesians, therefore architectural methods and styles of the Milesians were transferred on. But, in these same colonies, there was a sense of needing to legitimize their "Greekness". New rulers wanted to prove that they were just as Greek as cities in mainland Greece. Therefore, many elements found in traditional Greek fortification walls were also seen in colonies far from the mainland. At the site of

Chersonesus Chersonesus ( grc, Χερσόνησος, Khersónēsos; la, Chersonesus; modern Russian and Ukrainian: Херсоне́с, ''Khersones''; also rendered as ''Chersonese'', ''Chersonesos'', contracted in medieval Greek to Cherson Χερσών; ...

, blocks were cut long and flat. Masonries purposefully used a style of untrimming to give a stylistic effect common in Greek cities. In all fortification walls, one continuous idea was all walls were kept relatively low, but powerful from the use of small bricks or ashlar blocks. It was not economically resourceful to create extra-tall or extra-thick walls, when the strength in the stone itself would be defensible on its own. Walls were only made as tall or as thick as they were needed. Generally, fortifications were simple in design, their purpose was simply to defend, not to necessarily look pretty. However, Chersonesos offers a unique example of Greeks emphasizing aestetical beauty over what was most economical or defensible.

References

{{Reflist Ancient Greek fortifications in Greece

Fortifications A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

Historical Chronology

Fortification walls

Materials and construction

Architecture

See also

References