Large fortified buildings built in medieval times, designed for defense with thick walls, towers, and often a moat.
From Latin 'castellum' meaning 'fortified settlement,' which became 'castle' in Old French and entered Middle English. Originally referred to Roman military camps, then evolved to mean the stone fortresses built throughout Europe during the Middle Ages.
Medieval castles were basically ancient supercomputers—their architectural design solved complex problems of defense, water management, and food storage, and archaeologists can reconstruct an entire civilization's engineering knowledge by studying how castles were built and positioned on landscapes.
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