|
I think that the Rammas was partly symbolic, but also it would have been considered necessary to guard the farmlands and settlements outside of Minas Tirith itself. Had the Rammas not existed then small parties of orcs could have been constantly raiding the farms, burning crops and playing havoc with the city's food supply (as well as lowering morale) for years before the War of the Ring.
Of course there wouldn't have enough men to man all 30 miles of it - but then enemy forces couldn't have attacked the entire length of the wall all at once. You would just apply defenders to where they were needed.
I think Tolkien may also have been inspired by real life fortifications - the Great Wall of China (which is thousands of miles long), Hadrian's Wall - and in the twentieth century The Maginot Line which was supposed to protect France from invasion by Germany.
|