Plate 53:  Constructing the Black Castle, Part 19: a template for a corbelled battlement
(This plate added MAR 2004)

Having agreed upon the spacing and sizes of crenellations and merlons in the battlement, the Artisan and the Advisory Aesthetician then discussed the desirability of a corbelled battlement. "What, exactly, do we mean by the phrase corbelled battlement?" asked the Advisory Aesthetician. --more--

"A   corbelled battlement,"  replied the Artisan, "is a battlement that projects outward over the curtain wall, and is supported by corbels." "Corbels,"  continued the Artisan, are simply corner-braces made of stone. The projecting floor of the battlement is supported by corbels in the same manner that modern wall-shelves are often supported by metal corner-braces." "I see,"  said the Advisory Aesthetician.  "Does a corbelled battlement afford a military advantage?" "Decidedly,"  asserted the Artisan. "The exact advantage provided to a defender by a corbelled battlement is the ability, by a defender, to impair the cranium of an attacker in relative safety. Specifically, we are speaking of an attacker who is standing or crouching at the outer base of the curtain wall. Such an attacker, for example, might be attempting to raise a scaling ladder against the wall." "I presume,"  said the Advisory Aesthetician, "that we are using the word scaling in the sense of ascending." "Exactly,"  replied the Artisan. "We must keep in mind that the term scaling ladder derives from the Latin scalae, meaning stairs." "How, exactly, does a corbelled battlement assist a defender in his effort to impair the cranium of an attacker who is engaged in mischief at the base of the curtain wall?" "The answer,"  repled the Artisan, "resides in the fact that a corbelled battlement extends outward from the curtain wall. If the defender can look down through the projecting floor of the corbelled battlement, he is in an excellent position to drop a massy object, such as a large stone, directly upon the helmeted cranium of an attacker who is attempting mischief at the base of the wall." "By what means can the defender see through the floor of the corbelled battlement in order to achieve this design?" queried the Advisory Aesthetician. "An incisive question!" exclaimed the Artisan. "The answer is that the projecting floor of the corbelled battlement is pierced with many openings, known as machicolations. A defender can thus propel a massy object downward, through the nearest machicolation, upon the cranium of an attacker who is engaged in mischief at the base of the wall. The impact of such an object upon an attacker's cranium, even if the attacker is wearing a helmet, might not necessarily be fatal. However, we can be certain, at least, that such an impact would probably cause the attacker's judgment to become confused and disordered." "Very interesting, indeed,"  said the Advisory Aesthetician. Go to top of page