During the Middle Ages, a stronger need for security emerged, leading to the building of concentric castles. Concentric castles took much longer to complete but they provided many lines of defence. Normally the outer wall would be finished first and then the rest; to protect the workers and the people already inhabitating the castle. The most famous example of concentric castle is the Krak des Chevaliers in the Holy Land, provided with no less than three wall lines. The L-plan also emerged in the Middle Ages; this design allowed defenders to fire upon invaders of the neighbouring wing. Examples of this design which have survived to the second millennium are Muchalls Castle and Neidpath Castle. Also, towards the rise in stone castles, many wooden motte and bailey castles would have the wall on the motte covered with a stone barrier, rather than build an entire new castle.
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Castle building was a very common task as boundaries were pushed and territory conquered. The walls would most commonly go up first, in order to protect workers such as stonemasons during later stages of construction. Castles could take many years to complete, although the time needed depended greatly from type, location, resources, time period, construction materials, etc. For example, a castle built on top of a hill would generally take much longer to build than a castle located on terrain that was easier to build upon. While a Norman motte and baily castle could be constructed in a year or less, a large stone castle could take decades. Castles may have also been partially constructed in one generation and later generations filled in and added on. As time passed, stronger castles were built.