A
defensive wall is a
fortification used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. In ancient to modern times, they were used to enclose settlements. Generally, these are referred to as
city walls or
town walls, although there were also
walls, such as the
Great Wall of China,
Walls of Benin,
Hadrian's Wall, and the metaphorical
Atlantic Wall, which extended far beyond the borders of a
city and were used to enclose regions or mark territorial boundaries. Beyond their defensive utility, many walls also had important symbolic functions – representing the status and independence of the communities they embraced.