Innovation No. 32 of 77 in the book
The Concentric Fortress
Monuments of defensive engineering along the Nile cataracts
- When
- c. 1870 BCE
- Dynasty
- 12th Dynasty
- Era
- Middle Kingdom
In the Middle Kingdom, pharaoh Senusret I established the massive fortress of Buhen on the Nubian frontier, pioneering a defensive network his successors expanded south.
Its designers used defenses armies wouldn’t rediscover for millennia: a moat, a double line of walls, projecting towers to fire along the base, drawbridges and arrow slits angled for crossfire.
It is essentially the medieval concentric castle — layer inside layer — built 3,000 years before the Crusades.
The blueprint of the great stone castle was first drawn on the Nile.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the earliest archaeological evidence for the concentric fortress in ancient Egypt?
The earliest confirmed evidence dates to approximately 1870 BCE during Egypt's Middle Kingdom (12th Dynasty). In the Middle Kingdom, pharaoh Senusret I established the massive fortress of Buhen on the Nubian frontier, pioneering a defensive network his successors expanded south.
How did ancient Egyptians develop the concentric fortress, and what is its legacy?
Its designers used defenses armies wouldn’t rediscover for millennia: a moat, a double line of walls, projecting towers to fire along the base, drawbridges and arrow slits angled for crossfire. Its designers used defenses armies wouldn’t rediscover for millennia: a moat, a double line of walls, projecting towers to fire along the base, drawbridges and arrow slits angled for crossfire. The blueprint of the great stone castle was first drawn on the Nile.