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The
unique Tower of Caesar at Provins was built in the middle
of the 12th century. The Tower stands on a mound,
surrounded by a battlemented chemise. An attacker must
cross the exposed drawbridge from the chemise to gain
entrance to the Tower, which was octagonal with four
corner turrets. The octagonal Great Hall is surrounded by
mural passages and chambers. T. E. Lawrence's comment
about the castle when he visited in July, 1908: The Tour
Cesar, Provins is "a most puzzling xii [century]
keep, [with] the remains of town walls. I was in and
around them for hours, and came to the conclusion that
the architect was making experiments when he built them...the
keep would have been almost incapable of defence, and yet
in spirit it is half a century ahead of its time. It
ranks with Chateau Gaillard in importance for my thesis."
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