0:01 If you travel back to ancient times and
0:03 become the ruler of a city, the first
0:05 thing you do is build a tall wall around
0:06 it, your city's shield against invading
0:08 enemies. On top of the wall, you'd
0:09 construct battlements with gaps, giving
0:11 your soldiers cover while they defend.
0:13 But soon, you notice a flaw. The wall is
0:15 too flat. If enemies reach the base,
0:16 they enter a dead angle where archers
0:18 can't hit them. So, you design
0:19 protruding platforms spaced along the
0:21 wall, allowing soldiers to shoot from
0:22 both sides and trap enemies in
0:24 crossfire. These are called horse faces
0:26 or defense turrets. Yet, another problem
0:28 appears. The corners of the wall have
0:30 wide views, but defending both sides at
0:31 once is difficult, leaving a gap for
0:33 enemies to climb. So, you build larger
0:35 and taller corner towers, each topped
0:36 with a pavilion for scouting, signaling,
0:38 and long-range defense. These become the
0:40 corner towers, commanding the
0:41 battlefield from above. Even with these
0:43 defenses, the enemy still advances,
0:45 pushing siege engines toward your wall.
0:46 To slow them down, you dig a wide moat
0:48 outside the city and fill it with water,
0:50 forcing invaders to wade through before
0:51 reaching your gates. But your city is
0:53 vast. If the enemy attacks from multiple
0:55 directions, your soldiers and supplies
0:56 can't move fast enough between sectors.
0:58 So, you lay a circular horse path inside
1:00 the wall, allowing troops and provisions
1:01 to reach any threatened point within
1:03 minutes. Then, you add gate towers,
1:05 fortresses built at top the main gates,
1:07 serving as garrisons, lookout posts, and
1:08 command centers. Now, your wall is
1:10 almost impregnable, except for the gate
1:11 itself, the most vulnerable point of
1:13 all. Enemies focus their attacks there.
1:14 If they break through, your entire
1:16 defense could collapse. So, you wrap the
1:18 gate in multiple layers of high walls,
1:20 forming an enclosed courtyard trap. When
1:21 the enemy smashes through the first
1:23 gate, they rush inside only to find
1:24 themselves trapped in a killing zone.
1:26 From above, your archers unleash a storm
1:28 of arrows, wiping out the invaders
1:29 within moments. Congratulations. You've
1:31 just designed a complete ancient city
1:33 wall defense system. A masterpiece of
1:34 strategy and engineering that guarded
