Final answer:
Marakanda and other ancient cities protected themselves using massive walls like the thirty-five feet high drystone walls of Great Zimbabwe's Great Enclosure. These served both as defense and as symbols of power and hierarchy, with the ruling elite often positioned in easily defensible locations.
Step-by-step explanation:
The ancient city of Marakanda, along with other historic sites, utilized massive defensive structures for protection. For example, the Great Enclosure at Great Zimbabwe featured drystone walls that reached heights of approximately thirty-five feet and were as much as seventeen feet thick. Likewise, in Harappa, the citadel was surrounded by a mud-brick wall that was forty-two feet thick at its base and roughly fifty feet high. These structures not only served the purpose of defense but also showcased the ingenuity and architectural skills of ancient civilizations. The Great Enclosure in Zimbabwe is believed to have been a royal residence, illustrating the social hierarchy and the distribution of power within the society.
In addition to these impressive walls, the ruling elite often resided in strategic locations that maximized their safety, such as the royal complex on top of Mapungubwe Hill, which was protected by a wooden palisade. Meanwhile, the Inka of Cusco demonstrated their masterful construction techniques by building walls of perfectly fitted stones without mortar, a skill that provided stability during earthquakes. Both the Central States and non-Zhou tribes in China constructed walls not merely as defensive structures but as forward offensive lines intended to hold and expand territory.