FORT, FORTIFICATION, FORTIFIED (FENCED) CITIES. The main Heb. and Gr. words meaning fort, fortification, stronghold, refuge, fortified (fenced city) are the following: מִבְצָר֒, H4448; מִשְׂגָּב֒, H5369; מָעﯴז, H5057; מְצוּרָה, H5193; מְצﯴדָה֒, H5182; מְצָד, H5171; οχύρωμα. Every town and city in the Near E in ancient times was normally encircled by ramparts and defended by towers and fortified gates. Reports describing the large fortified cities of the Canaanites struck fear into the Israelites; and after their conquest of these towns, they rebuilt the broken defenses and improved them where they could. The walls of a city were usually of large dimensions, anywhere from fifteen to twenty-five ft. thick; and often there were two or even three of them. Some of them were well over twenty-five ft. in height. They were made of rough or cut stone, with the upper courses made of brick, or even wood. Walls were rendered less assailable by having a trench, or fosse, dug around them. Towers, or bastions, were built at the corners and other places on the wall where attack was to be apprehended (Zeph 1:16, KJV; 2 Chron 14:7). These towers protruded from the walls for some ft. so that the defenders of a besieged city could assail the attackers with available weapons. Since gates were an obvious point of weakness, most towns had no more than one or two. The gates were ordinarily of two leaves, and for greater security against fire were often overlaid with bronze (Ps 107:16; Isa 45:2). Since no city could hold out for long without a supply of water, it was of prime importance that a town be built where an abundance of water was available. Sometimes long tunnels were made to a source of water outside the walls. The Bible in a number of places tells of fortifications which the kings of Israel and Judah erected to protect their chief cities. Solomon, e.g., fortified Jerusalem, Megiddo, Hazor, and Gezer (1 Kings 9:15); Rehoboam fortified fifteen cities in Judah (2 Chron 11:5-12); and Asa fortified Geba and Mizpah (1 Kings 15:22).

Bibliography R. de Vaux, Ancient Israel (1961), 229-240; G. E. Wright, Biblical Archaeology (1962).