A study of ramparts in Dan during the Bronze and Iron age
Scott, Donald
The emergence of ramparts in the Early Bronze Age in ancient Palestine has been debated, whether they
were built to counter siege warfare or not. Many wars from the Late Bronze Age into the Iron Age are
against walled cities, where bas reliefs of the ancient Egyptians and Assyrians bear witness to the methods
employed to break into the fortifications. The research focuses on the role of the Dan ramparts, as a first
line of defence, prevention of erosion, protector of the water source and a socio-political structure of
hegemony and emulation through its complementary fortifications. The combination of archaeology,
anthropology, geography and military strategy explores the following questions: When, by whom, with
what and how were the Dan ramparts constructed? What was the main role of the ramparts? What
strategies were used to defend and penetrate the ramparts? How effective was the enemy in breaching the
ramparts and were the gates the only vulnerable point of entry? A multidisciplinary approach aids in the
investigation of the findings in and around the Dan ramparts identifying whether the attacking force sieged
the city through conflict, destruction, conflagration, negotiation, capitulation, or annexation. These
sieges are tested through theories adopted from war treatises and strategies originating in the East in
determining if, at all, the ramparts were penetrated by looking at the evidence at Dan through a different
lens.
Bibliography: leaves 170-182
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