DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.786#0289
272 COSA. [chap, xlvii.
to thirty feet in height, and are relieved, at intervals, by
square towers, projecting from eleven to fifteen feet, and
of more horizontal masonry than the rest of the fortifica-
tions. Fourteen of these towers, square and external,
and two internal and circular, are now standing, or to be
traced;3 but there were probably more, for in several
places are immense heaps of ruins, though whether of
towers, or of the wall itself fallen outwards, it is difficult
to determine.
Though Cosa resembles many other ancient sites in
Italy in the character of its masonry, it has certain pecu-
liarities. I remember no other instances of towers in
polygonal fortifications, with the exceptions of the bastion
and round tower of Norba, a similar bastion at Alatri,
near the Porta S. Francesco, and the towers at Fondi,
apparently of no high antiquity.4 In no case is there a
continuous chain of towers, as round the southern and
western walls of Cosa. Another peculiarity of these forti-
3 On the northern side there is but that form recommended by Vitruvius
one tower and that in a ruined state ; (I. 5), who says they should be either
but on the western, or that facing the round or many-sided, for the square
sea, which was most open to attack, ones are easily knocked to pieces by the
I counted, besides a circular one within battering-ram, whereas on the circular
the walls, seven external, in various it can make no impression. The weak-
states of preservation, the southernmost ness of square towers, however, was
being the largest and most perfect. ascertained long before the time of
This tower is 22 feet wide, and about Vitruvius : for in one of the Very early
20 high, as it now stands. In the wall and curious Assyrian reliefs from the
to the south are five towers square and ruins of Nineveh, recently placed in the
external, and one, internal and circular, British Museum, which represents the
42 feet in diameter. On the eastern siege of a city, the battering-ram is
side there is but one ancient square directed against the angles of a tower,
tower, and one semicircular of smaller from which it is fast dislodging the
and more recent masonry. Though I blocks.
have called these towers external, they 4 Memor. Inst. III. p. 90. Even
also project a little inward, from the Pyrgi, which was fortified with similar
line of walls. In Micali's Plan many of masonry, though its name signified
these towers are omitted. «towers," retains no trace of such in
It will be observed that here, as at its walls (ut mpra, page 16).
Falerii, the external towers are not of
to thirty feet in height, and are relieved, at intervals, by
square towers, projecting from eleven to fifteen feet, and
of more horizontal masonry than the rest of the fortifica-
tions. Fourteen of these towers, square and external,
and two internal and circular, are now standing, or to be
traced;3 but there were probably more, for in several
places are immense heaps of ruins, though whether of
towers, or of the wall itself fallen outwards, it is difficult
to determine.
Though Cosa resembles many other ancient sites in
Italy in the character of its masonry, it has certain pecu-
liarities. I remember no other instances of towers in
polygonal fortifications, with the exceptions of the bastion
and round tower of Norba, a similar bastion at Alatri,
near the Porta S. Francesco, and the towers at Fondi,
apparently of no high antiquity.4 In no case is there a
continuous chain of towers, as round the southern and
western walls of Cosa. Another peculiarity of these forti-
3 On the northern side there is but that form recommended by Vitruvius
one tower and that in a ruined state ; (I. 5), who says they should be either
but on the western, or that facing the round or many-sided, for the square
sea, which was most open to attack, ones are easily knocked to pieces by the
I counted, besides a circular one within battering-ram, whereas on the circular
the walls, seven external, in various it can make no impression. The weak-
states of preservation, the southernmost ness of square towers, however, was
being the largest and most perfect. ascertained long before the time of
This tower is 22 feet wide, and about Vitruvius : for in one of the Very early
20 high, as it now stands. In the wall and curious Assyrian reliefs from the
to the south are five towers square and ruins of Nineveh, recently placed in the
external, and one, internal and circular, British Museum, which represents the
42 feet in diameter. On the eastern siege of a city, the battering-ram is
side there is but one ancient square directed against the angles of a tower,
tower, and one semicircular of smaller from which it is fast dislodging the
and more recent masonry. Though I blocks.
have called these towers external, they 4 Memor. Inst. III. p. 90. Even
also project a little inward, from the Pyrgi, which was fortified with similar
line of walls. In Micali's Plan many of masonry, though its name signified
these towers are omitted. «towers," retains no trace of such in
It will be observed that here, as at its walls (ut mpra, page 16).
Falerii, the external towers are not of