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About this image

Someone at Bethesda knew their history when they designed Bruma. This is a good example of what was once common in front of mediaeval city wall and castle gateways. They were built to make it difficult to attack the gate itself. Even where mediaeval gateways still survive, many barbicans have since been demolished because they restricted traffic, so when we visit these places we often don't realise how common they used to be.
A good example of a barbican survives at Walmgate Bar on the ancient City of York walls in the UK - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/York_city_walls
(/takes off boring historian's hat). :D