circumvallation
Noun
Meaning
The act of surrounding with a wall or rampart.
A line of field works made around a besieged place and the besieging army, to protect the camp of the besiegers against the attack of an enemy from without.
Source: Webster's dictionarySynonyms
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Examples
A line of circumvallation would also be constructed, facing in towards the besieged area, to protect against sorties by the defenders and to prevent the besieged from escaping.
As a siege progressed, the surrounding army would build earthworks (a line of circumvallation ) to completely encircle their target, preventing food, water, and other supplies from reaching the besieged city.
The circumvallation and Battle of Alesia in 52 BC; the women and children of the encircled city were evicted to conserve food, where they starved to death between the opposing walls of the defenders and besiegers.
The Roman legion surrounded Masada, built a circumvallation wall and then a siege ramp against the western face of the plateau.