Caccamo

Caccamo (Castle)… From ‘Al ‘Abr.?â (Cozzo Casale?) you then arrive at the base of Caccamo, which is situated two miles on the right. Idrisi, The Book of Roger, ca. 1154

 

1. Description:
What is depicted here could have been the exterior of the living quarters of the owner of the castle. The donjon, or great tower, that consisted of the living quarters of the nobles and the knights would also have been constructed to be highly defensible. The walls would have been very thick to prevent damage from any airborne missiles. Also, as can be seen, they would have been made of stone to prevent enemy soldiers from attempting to burn it down. The battlements were high up to allow for long range attacks by archers. Windows in general would have been rather small and those that were higher up would have been only slightly larger to allow air and light into the rooms, and were not constructed to be used by archers for defense. As can be seen in this image, the great tower at Càccamo lacked windows along the lower levels and those higher up were not very big. Another feature of this donjon that was shared with other Norman castles was a battered plinth along the bottom of the tower. This was characterized by a thicker stone wall that was angled slightly outward both to protect the most vulnerable area of the wall and as an additional weapon when used in conjunction with objects that were thrown from the battlements to confuse and hurt the enemy.
Modern Province: (PA) Palermo
Modern Town: Càccamo

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