What is the projecting wall or parapet that allows floor openings for dropping molten material on attackers called?

What is the projecting wall or parapet that allows floor openings for dropping molten material on attackers called?

• A. Machicolations
• B. Battlement
• C. Merlons
• D. Buttress

Answer: (A)

Machicolations are the projecting wall or parapet with openings in the floor between its supporting supports. These openings let defenders drop molten material, boiling substances, rocks, or other projectiles onto attackers while staying protected. This feature is distinct from a battlement, which is the overall crenellated parapet; the raised sections on top are merlons, with gaps between them called crenels. A buttress, by contrast, is a structural support that reinforces a wall. The defining idea here is the floor openings in a projecting parapet that enable defense by dropping materials, which is characteristic of machicolations.

Machicolations are the projecting wall or parapet with openings in the floor between its supporting supports. These openings let defenders drop molten material, boiling substances, rocks, or other projectiles onto attackers while staying protected. This feature is distinct from a battlement, which is the overall crenellated parapet; the raised sections on top are merlons, with gaps between them called crenels. A buttress, by contrast, is a structural support that reinforces a wall. The defining idea here is the floor openings in a projecting parapet that enable defense by dropping materials, which is characteristic of machicolations.