Siege weapons are the same age as fortified cities. According to archeology, they first appeared in Mesopotamia in the 2nd millennium BC. e. In ancient times, the conquest of a neighboring state was reduced primarily to the capture of its main strongholds. Thus, the siege was a crucial tactic for waging a successful war, and the siege weapon was an effective way to achieve this goal.
Siege weapons of yesteryear
Thick fortress walls and city gates before the invention of cannons were pierced with the help of battering rams. They were made of wood and covered with raw animal skins to protect them from incendiary arrows and mixtures. At the end of the battering ram, as a rule, a bronze and later an iron tip was attached.
The throwing machine is another siege weapon often used by the enemy army. The first samples were original variations of slings and bows mounted on a stand. Later, mobile versions, equipped with wheels and a carriage, spread. These include catapults, arrow throwers, ballista, onagers.
Siege ladders were the most common means of assault, as they made it possible to quickly overcome barriers. If their length turned out to be shorter than the height of the wall, then to lengthen themrope nets with iron hooks were used, fastened to the wall battlements.
The siege tower for many centuries remained one of the most used machines in the blockade of cities, and later knight's castles. The first of them appeared in the Ancient East and, with some modifications, were successfully used until the Middle Ages.
The oldest mention of siege towers
The Assyrians turned the siege of cities into an art. Thanks to archaeologists, we now know what the palaces of Nineveh, the capital of ancient Assyria, looked like. The giant reliefs that adorned the palace walls depict all the techniques that the Assyrians used to blockade cities.
The siege tower depicted on them is of particular interest. It was a multi-wheeled wooden structure covered with mats. Ahead, such a machine had a small turret, where warriors with a ram were hiding. Of course, the Assyrians were not the only ones to use such military equipment.
Xenophon, an ancient Greek historian and commander, left us a description of the machines that accompanied the army of Cyrus. From it we learn that the Persian siege tower had several floors. The lower one, including the wheels, rose 5.6 m above the ground, while the weight of the machine itself exceeded 3 tons. 8 oxen were used to move it. However, some historians believe that these towers were intended not so much for the assault, but to support the army in battle.
The siege art of Carthage and Greece
The Carthaginians came from the East, so they were goodfamiliar with battering rams and siege towers. Diodorus Siculus, describing the siege of Greek cities on about. Sicily by the Carthaginian army of Hannibal, in particular, mentions the towers of exceptional height that towered over the walls of Selinunte. Slingers and archers, who were on the upper platforms of the tower, easily hit the defenders of the city, as soon as they appeared on the city wall.
Four ancient authors have preserved for us the description of the helefield - a giant siege tower used by the Greeks. Each side of the wheel base of the machine was 21 m, and its interior space was divided by transverse beams, against which those who moved the tower forward rested. The helifield itself had 9 floors, connected by two stairs: for descending and for ascending.
Each floor on the front side had windows with wooden shutters, which opened at the moment of throwing shells. It can be assumed that such a bulky siege tower, about 40 m high, moved very slowly, although there are no descriptions of how it was set in motion. To protect the wooden structure from fire, the side and front walls were upholstered with iron or leather pillows.
Roman assault towers
Approximately from the 2nd century BC. e. the Romans began to use towers more actively during the siege of cities. The military historian of Ancient Rome, Vegetius, left a rather detailed description of such combat vehicles. It follows from this that the pragmatic Romans preferred functional technology, not trying to hit the enemy with its size.
According to Vegetius, the tower ("tour" - from the Latin turres ambulatorie) was divided into three levels. On the first floor there was a battering ram, on the second floor there was a swing bridge with a wicker fence and, finally, on the third floor there was a platform for archers and spear throwers. Such a tower, depending on the terrain and the height of the city walls, could reach 15 or even 27 meters.
The structure was sheathed with sheets of iron or leather and patchwork bedspreads made of non-combustible materials. When the tower reached the walls of the besieged city, the bridge of the second floor was extended, allowing the soldiers to move to the city fortifications.
Medieval siege towers
Despite the fact that the ancient civilizations eventually left the historical scene, their achievements in the field of military technology continued to be used in the Middle Ages. Siege engines, including assault towers, were used to blockade both cities and knightly castles. Their design and tactics of use have not changed much since ancient times.
As before, during the Middle Ages they were built of wood overlaid with horse or bull skins. On the upper platform of the tower were crossbowmen and archers, and sometimes small throwing machines. The lower floor was occupied by a battering ram with an iron tip or a drill used to loosen the brickwork of the walls.
Siege of medieval fortresses
Preparatory work that preceded the assault on a castle or city required a lot of time and money. In addition, the besiegedalso did not work. They often made forays into the enemy camp under cover of night to destroy siege works, including wooden towers.
Storming the fortress with ladders was the first means used by the besiegers. If he did not bring success, then they switched to a long blockade and set in motion siege towers. They moved them with the help of winches close to the fortress wall. In the event of a successful maneuver, the outcome of the assault could be considered decided.
