In Kush siege towers as well as battering rams were built from the 8th century BC and employed in Kushite siege warfare, such as the siege of Ashmunein in 715 BC. Advanced siege engines including battering rams were used by Assyrians, followed by the catapult in ancient Greece. The earliest siege engines appear to be simple movable roofed towers used for cover to advance to the defenders' walls in conjunction with scaling ladders, depicted during the Middle Kingdom of Egypt. Antiquity Ancient Assyria through the Roman Empire įurther information: Roman siege engine Siege engine in Assyrian relief of attack on an enemy town during the reign of Tiglath-Pileser III 743-720 BC from his palace at Kalhu (Nimrud) With the development of gunpowder and improved metallurgy, bombards and later heavy artillery became the primary siege engines.Ĭollectively, siege engines or artillery together with the necessary soldiers, sappers, ammunition, and transport vehicles to conduct a siege are referred to as a siege train.

They could launch simple projectiles using natural materials to build up force by tension, torsion, or, in the case of trebuchets, human power or counterweights coupled with mechanical advantage. From antiquity up to the development of gunpowder, they were made largely of wood, using rope or leather to help bind them, possibly with a few pieces of metal at key stress points. Siege engines are fairly large constructions – from the size of a small house to a large building.

Some complex siege engines were combinations of these types. There are many distinct types, such as siege towers that allow foot soldiers to scale walls and attack the defenders, battering rams that damage walls or gates, and large ranged weapons (such as ballistae, catapults/ trebuchets and other similar constructions) that attack from a distance by launching projectiles. Some are immobile, constructed in place to attack enemy fortifications from a distance, while others have wheels to enable advancing up to the enemy fortification. Pre-gunpowder fortress-warfare machines Replica battering ram at Château des Baux, FranceĪ siege engine is a device that is designed to break or circumvent heavy castle doors, thick city walls and other fortifications in siege warfare.

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