>The aim of the tactic I described is to keep the valuables
>out of the raiders' reach. The principle is simple, once
>the alarm is sounded, everyone goes to the shelters or
>the hiding places. The fortifications don't need to be
>expensive, for example if the house are built with stone,
>they can be built in circle, their gates facing the interior
>of the village. Or the temple (in Europe it was the church),
>is reinforced so that it can serve as a stronpoint.
>
>Those fortifications won't stand against invaders, but
>if the raiders are stupid enough to try to besiege them,
>the army (in the western, we would say the cavalry) can
>come to the rescue.
Right on! This precisely describes how the Byzantines coped with the almost annual Arab raids into their territory during the period of leading up to and during the revival of the late 8th and early 9th century. This strategy could not prevent the raid (although the Byzantines made increasingly better attempts to repel the raiders at the passes into their territory). However, because the army and civil population of the raided territory were safely behind the walls of the forts, they could reestablish themselves after the raiders had departed. By these means the Byzantines managed to keep possession of their land despite the superior power of the Arabs and the harassment of the Bulgars and the Slavs. A fascinating and highly recommended book on this period is Warren Treadgold "The Byzantine Revival 780-842" (Stanford University Press, 1988).
Cheers
MOB
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