Swallowtail merlons... or provenance

[-JKP-]

@JKP
How far is Rhodes from Bodrum ? And then look at the other castles.
Example:

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Mamaris castle was constructed in the 1500s, and reconstructed in the 1520s, when Süleyman moved against Rhodes.


I've spent countless hours trying to determine which buildings had Ghibelline merlons in the early 15th century (they were all over the place by the 16th century) and from everything I have learned so far, they were in quite a limited geographical area.


In the 13/14th and early 15th centuries, adding Ghibelline merlons to your building was like flying a specific political flag. Not everyone wanted to reveal their political alliances so openly. It was dangerous. By the 16th century, this connotation was disappearing and so the merlons were less controversial and began to be seen as decorative items. By the end of the 16th century, they were spreading all over.


To understand this better, consider the fact that the Holy Roman Empire used to stretch all the way to Rome. But the supporters of the pope in Rome (against the other popes that rose up to challenge and against the Holy Roman Emperor) pushed back. Eventually the borders of the Holy Roman Empire receded north. When that started happening, the importance of the merlons as a political symbol began to decline.