vallum

oppidum vallo fossaque circumdederunt
they surrounded the town with a rampart and a trench

vāllum, ī: a rampart, breastwork, or fort with palisades, 9.524.

vallum, i, n. [collective of 1. vallus; the line of palisades about an intrenchment; hence], an earthen wall or rampart set with palisades, a palisaded rampart, intrenchment, circumvallation.

• I Lit., Varr. L. L. 5, § 117 Müll.; Liv. 33, 5, 4 sq.: castra vallo fossāque munire, Caes. B. G. 2, 5: aliquem vallo et fossā saeptum tenere, Cic. Att. 9, 12, 3: oppidum vallo et fossā cingere, id. ib. 5, 20, 5: oppidum vallo et fossā circumdare, id. Fam. 15, 4, 10; Sall. J. 76, 2; Liv. 7, 23, 5; Verg. A. 9, 146; 9, 506; 9, 524; Hor. Epod. 9, 13 al.—
• II Transf., in gen., a wall, rampart, fortification; with gen.: non Alpium vallum contra ascensum transgressionemque Gallorum obicio et oppono, Cic. Pis. 33, 81: India vallo munitur eburno, Lucr. 2, 538: saepes pastorum munita vallo arboris, Plin. 12, 5, 11, § 22: (spica) contra avium minorum morsus munitur vallo aristarum, Cic. Sen. 15, 51: munitae sunt palpebrae tamquam vallo pilorum, id. N. D. 2, 57, 143: dentium, Ap. Dogm. Plat. 1, p. 10, 9.—Absol.: si interdicta petes vallo (i. e. stola) circumdata, etc., Hor. S. 1, 2, 96.

1. vāllum, ī, n. (vallus), I) die Gesamtmasse der Palisaden, die um das Lager auf dem Schanzwalle eingeschlagen wurden, die Verschanzung oder der mit Palisaden versehene Wall (agger) selbst, vallum caecum (maskierte), Liv.: vallum petere, Liv.: vallum ducere, Liv.: vallum moliri, Tac.: vallum fossamque per totum spatii opus ducere, Liv.: vallum fodere, Tac.: vallum obicere, Liv.: vallum circumicere, Liv.: vallum ita producere, ut etc., Liv.: castra vallo munire, Caes., vallo atque fossā munire, Sall.: oppidum vallo et fossā cingere, Cic.: vallo saepire aciem, Liv.: moenia vallo atque fossā circumdare, Sall.: exercitum intra vallum compellere, Liv.: vallum scindere, Caes.: proruere vallum in fossas, Liv.: vallum fossasque implere, Liv. – II) übtr., die Schutzwehr, der Wall, Damm, spica munitur vallo aristarum, Cic.: u. so omnium satorum fructus... munitor vallo aristarum contra aves et parvas quadripedes, Plin.: Alpium vallum contra ascensum transgressionemque obicere et opponere, Cic.

2. vāllum, ī, n., s. 2. vallus.

vallum [CL], palisaded earthwork or other sim. (esp. defensive) structure (such as wall, rampart, ditch, or some combination of these; also transf. or fig.); b (applied to other wall or barrier). c ditch (also fig.). d hollow or lump in human flesh. Severus ‥ partem insulae ‥ non muro ‥ sed ~o distinguendam putavit. murus etenim de lapidibus, ~um vero, quo ad repellendam vim hostium castra muniuntur, fit de cespitibus, quibus circumcisis, e terra velut murus exstruitur altus supra terram, ita ut in ante sit fossa, de qua levati sunt cespites, supra quam sudes de lignis fortissimis praefiguntur Bede HE I 5 (cf. Veg. Mil. I 24); Offa, qui ~um magnum inter Britanniam atque Merciam de mari usque ad mare fieri imperavit Asser Alf. 14; Rodomensis civitas ‥ muris ac ~is et propugnaculis validissima Ord. Vit. V 6 p. 324; erit igitur hic acervus tritici non sepe circumseptus invidie, nec ~o circumdatus avaritie J. Ford Serm. 71. 5; super hanc [sc. molem muralem] erigatur sepes horrida, palis quadrangulatis et vepribus pungentibus bene sit armata. postmodum ~um [gl.: bayl, ballie, idem quod betaile, fossa circuens castellum] amplis gaudeat intersticiis. fundamentum muri venis terre maritetur Neckam Ut. 103; natura ‥ grana frumenti †circa munitarum [l. contra minutarum] avium morsus munivit ~o aristarum T. Chobham Commend. Virt. 93; lupus ~um transiliens sude suffossus est in pede (Boecius13) VSH I 91.  b at tu coenoso dum stringeris undique vallo Frith. 840; de cimiterio ~o spinoso firmiter undique concluso, quod nemo transcendere vel penetrare potuit Gir. Invect. VI 17; 1208 si tota ~a illius marisci vel aliqua ejus pars per forinsecam ~am a mari defensa fuerit CurR V 203; 1227 faciat auxilium ad vallas [v. l. wallias] et fossata facit [l. faciendas] in predictis maneriis BNB II 217; hoc ~um, a. a parke palys WW.  c ~um, fures timens atque hostes, domui mee circumdo, aquam in necessarium molendini usum, cavata terra, deduco Pull. Sent. 869C; in circuitu ~um fodiunt dum transacta mala ante oculos ejus ducentes eam in foveam desperationis ducunt Hon. Spec. Eccl. 1049D; Soldanus interim per ~um antiquitus factum galeias et galiones, Nilo crescente, misit in flumine ad impediendum navigium nostrum M. Par. Maj. III 69.  d 11‥ ~um, necdel WW Sup. 320; hec paciebatur febribus et ~a dura capitis et colli per tres annos Mir. Montf. 88.

1 vallum, (8) ī, n. , ¶ 1 palissade [couronnant lʼagger ] : aggerem ac vallum exstruere Cæs. G. 7, 72, 4, établir une levée de terre et une palissade || retranchement [levée de terre et palissade], rempart : Cæs. G. 2, 5, 6 ; 3, 17, 6 ; Cic. Att. 5, 20, 5 ; 9, 12, 3 ¶ 2 [fig.] rempart, défense : Cic. CM 51 ; Pis. 81 ; Nat. 2, 143 ; Hor. S. 1, 2, 96.

2 vallum, v. vallus 2,

➳.

vallum , i. n.
寨栅。保障。城譙樓。— caecum 埋釘之寨栅。— aristarum 穂鬚。Ducere vallum 立寨栅。

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vāllum ī, n

• vallus, a line of palisades, palisaded rampart, intrenchment, circumvallation: vallo fossāque moenia circumvenit, S.: Pompeium fossā et vallo saeptum tenet: in tumulo vallum ducere, L.: fossas implere ac vellere vallum, V.— Fig., a wall, rampart, fortification: non Alpium vallum contra ascensum Gallorum obicio: munitae sunt palpebrae tamquam vallo pilorum.

VALLUM

VALLUMa term applied either to the whole or a portion of the fortifications of a Roman camp. It is derived from callus (a stake), and properly means the palisade which ran along the outer edge of the top of the agger, but it very frequently includes the agger also. The vallum, in the latter sense, together with the fossa or ditch which surrounded the camp outside of the vallum, formed a complete fortification [AGGER], and accordingly the word vallum is almost always found in connexion with fossa.

The valli (χάρακες) or sudes (Caes. Bell. Gall. 5.40, 6; Veg. 1.24, 3.8), of which the vallum, in the former and more limited sense, was composed, are described by Polybius (Plb. 18.18, 5ff., ed. Hultsch = 18.1, ed. vulg.: see Mr. Strachan-Davidson's notes on this difficult passage, pp. 416-17) and Livy (Liv. 33.5), who make a comparison between the vallum of the Greeks and that of the Romans, very much to the advantage of the latter. Both used for valli young trees or arms of larger trees with the side branches on them; but the valli of the Greeks were much larger and had more branches than those of the Romans, which had either two or three, or at the most four branches, and these generally on the same side. From their similarity to the antlers of a stag (Sil. Ital.), they were sometimes called cervi (Varro, L. L. 5.117, Miller; Caes. Bell. Gall. 7.72, 4; Tibull. 4.1, 84: cf. Liv. 44.11, 4), or cervoli (Frontin. Strateg. 1.5, 2; Hygin. de Mun. Castr. § 51). The Greeks placed their valli in the agger at considerable intervals, the spaces between them being filled up by the branches; the Romans fixed theirs close together, and made the branches interlace, and sharpened their points carefully. Hence the Greek vallus could easily be taken hold of by its large branches and pulled from its place, and when it was removed a large opening was left in the vallum. The Roman vallus, on the contrary, presented no convenient handle, required very great force to pull it down, and even if removed left a very small opening, as the stake itself was so small. The Greek valli were cut on the spot; the Romans prepared theirs beforehand, and each soldier carried three or four of them when on a march (Polyb. l. c.; Verg. G. 3.346, 347; Cic. Tusc. 2.1. 6, 37; Liv. l. c. and Epit. lvii.). They were made of any strong wood, but oak was preferred.

The word vallus is sometimes used as equivalent to vallum (Caesar, Bell. Civ. 3.63).

A fortification like the Roman vallum was used by the Greeks at a very early period (Hom. Il. 9.349, 350).

Varro's etymology of the word (viz. vel quod ea varicare [stride over it] nemo potest vel quod singula ibi extrema bacilla furcillata habent figuram litterae V: L. L. 5.117, ed. Müller) is not worth much. The real derivation is probably from the root var (val), to protect, whence vereri, ἧλος; cf. Vaniçek, pp. 900, 901.

In the operations of a siege, when the place could not be taken by storm, and it became necessary to establish a blockade, this was done by drawing defences similar to those of a camp round the town, which was then said to be circumvallatum. Such a circumvallation, besides cutting off all communication between the town and the surrounding country, formed a defence against the sallies of the besieged. There was often a double line of fortifications, the inner against the town, and the outer against any force that might attempt to raise the siege. In this case the army was encamped between the two lines of works.

This kind of circumvallation, which the Greeks called ἀποτειχισμὸς and περιτειχισμός, was employed by the Peloponnesians in the siege of Plataeae (Thucyd. 2.78, 3.20-23). Their lines consisted of two walls (apparently of turf) at the distance of 16 feet, which surrounded the city in the form of a circle. Between the walls were the huts of the besiegers. The walls had battlements (ἐπάλξεις), and at every tenth battlement was a tower, filling up by its depth the whole space between the walls. There was a passage for the besiegers through the middle of each tower. On the outside of each wall was a ditch (τάφρος). This description would almost exactly answer for the Roman mode of circum-vallation, of which some of the best examples are that of Carthage by Scipio (Appian, Punic. 119, &c.), that of Numantia by Scipio (Appian, Hispan. 90), and that of Alesia by Caesar (Bell. Gall. 7.72, 73). The towers in such lines were similar to those used in attacking fortified places, but not so high, and of course not moveable. [TURRIS] (Lipsius, de Milit. Rom. 5.5, in Oper. iii. pp. 156, 157; Poliorc. 2.1, in Oper. 3.283; Marquardt, Röm. Staatsverwaltung, ii.2 419; and the art. CASTRAin Vol. I. of this Dictionary.)

[P.S] [L.C.P]

Vallum

(χαράκωμα). A palisade made of sharp stakes like chevaux-de-frise, and often placed by the ancient soldiers around the outer edge of the mound of earth (agger) thrown up about their camps (Polyb. xvii. 1, 1). The term often denotes both palisade and rampart. See the illustration under agger.