ClipArt ETC
"Section of Fortified Wall. (Interior on the left; exterior on the right.) a, a, is the abatis; b, b, the counterscarp; c, c, the palisade; d, d, the scarp; f, f, the fraise; f, e, g, g, the parapet; h, the banquette; and i, g, the breast-height." -Whitney, 1911

Section of Fortified Wall

"Section of Fortified Wall. (Interior on the left; exterior on the right.) a, a, is the abatis; b, b,…

A machicolation is a floor opening between the supporting corbels of a battlement, through which stones could be dropped on attackers at the base of a defensive wall. The design was developed in the Middle Ages when the Norman crusaders returned. A machicolated battlement projects outwards from the supporting wall in order to facilitate this.

Machicolation

A machicolation is a floor opening between the supporting corbels of a battlement, through which stones…