fortifications

The Trigoniou Tower in Thessaloniki

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The Trigoniou Tower in Thessaloniki

The Trigoniou Tower, located in the upper town of Thessaloniki, is a remarkable example of Ottoman military architecture. Originally a Byzantine bastion, the Ottomans rebuilt it in the late fifteenth century to accommodate heavy artillery. Known also as the Chain Tower, it stands as one of the strongest points of Thessaloniki’s fortifications. The tower offers … Read more

Cyclopean Walls: Mycenae’s Colossal Bronze Age Fortifications

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Cyclopean Walls: Mycenae's Colossal Bronze Age Fortifications

The Cyclopean walls of Mycenae are the vast fortification circuit that rings the Bronze Age citadel in the Argolid, in the Peloponnese. Builders raised them from huge, roughly worked limestone boulders set without mortar, the largest weighing tonnes apiece. The scale of the stones stunned later Greeks, who decided that only the giant Cyclopes could … Read more