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Siege tower

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	Topics Siege tower Topic Home A siege tower (or in the Middle AgesMiddle Ages The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three "ages": the clas... a belfryBelfry The term *Belfry* has a variety of uses:... ) is a specialized siege engineSiege engine A siege engine is a device that is designed to break or circumvent city walls and other fortifications in siege warfare.... , constructed to protect assailants and ladders while approaching the defensive walls of a fortificationFortification Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defense in warfare.... . The towerTower A tower is a tall man-made structure, always taller than it is wide, and usually much higher.... was often rectangular with four wheels and a height roughly equal to that of the wall or sometimes higher to allow archerArchery Archery is the practice of using a bow to shoot arrows.... s to stand on top of the tower and fire into the fortification. Because the towers were wooden and thus flammable, they had to have some non-flammable covering of iron or fresh animal skins. The siege tower was mainly made from wood but sometimes they had metal parts. Used since the 9th century BC in the ancient Near East, 305 BC in EuropeEurope Europe is one of the seven traditional continents of the Earth.... and also in antiquityAncient history Summary Ancient history is the study of significant cultural and political events from the beginning of human history until the Earl... in the Far EastFar East *Far East* is an inexact term often used for East Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia combined, sometimes including also t... , siege towers were of unwieldy dimensions and, like trebuchetTrebuchet [image:Trebuchet1.png\|thumb\|right\|Three-quarter view of a trebuchet]]... s, were therefore mostly constructed on site of the siegeSiege A siege is a military blockade and assault of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by force or attrition.... . Taking considerable time to construct, siege towers were mainly built if the defense of the opposing fortification could not be overcome by ladder assaultEscalade Escalade is the act of scaling defensive walls or ramparts with the aid of ladders, and was a prominent feature of siege war... , by mining or by breaking walls or gateGate A gate is a point of entry to a space enclosed by walls, or an opening in a fence.... s. The siege tower sometimes housed pikemen, swordsmen, or crossbowCrossbow Overview A crossbow is a weapon. consisting of a bow mounted on a stock that fires projectiles.... men who shot quarrelQuarrel ----A quarrel is the technical term for the most common head of a crossbow bolt, so called on account of its square shape .... s at the defenders. Because of the size of the tower it would often be the first target of large stone catapults but it had its own projectiles with which to retaliate. Siege towers were used to get troops over an enemy wall. When a siege tower was near a wall, it would drop a gangplankCorvus (weapon) A *corvus* was a Roman military boarding device used in naval warfare during the First Punic War against Carthage.... between it and the wall. Troops could then rush onto the walls and into the castleCastle A castle is a structure that is fortified for defence against an enemy and generally serves as a military headquarters domi... or cityCity A city is an urban area that is differentiated from a town, village, or hamlet by size, population density, importance, or ... . Medieval and later use With the collapse of the Roman EmpireWestern Roman Empire Overview The Western Roman Empire is the name given to the western half of the Roman Empire after its division by Diocletian in 286.... in the West into independent states, and the Eastern Roman EmpireByzantine Empire Byzantine Empire is the term conventionally used since the 19th century to describe the Greek-speaking Roman Empire of the... on the defensive, the use of siege towers reached its height during the medieval period. Siege towers were used when the AvarFacts About Eurasian Avars The Eurasian Avars - known as Zhuan Zhuan to the Chinese - were a nomadic people of Eurasia, of proto-Mongolian stock, who m... s laid siegeSiege of Constantinople (626) The Siege of Constantinople in 626 AD by the Sassanid Empire ended in a decisive victory for the Byzantines which, with othe... unsuccessfully to ConstantinopleConstantinople Summary Constantinople was the capital of the Byzantine Empire and following its fall in 1453, of the Ottoman Empire until 1930, wh... in 626, as the Chronicon PaschaleChronicon Paschale Chronicon Paschale is the conventional name of a 7th-century Byzantine universal chronicle of the world.... recounts: At this siege the attackers also made use of "sows" - mobile armoured shelters which were used throughout the medieval period, and allowed workers to fill in moatMoat A moat is a manmade body of water that surrounds an area or building of significance, and almost always exist for the purpos... s with protection from the defenders (thus levelling the ground for the siege towers to be moved to the walls). However, the construction of a sloping talusTalus Talus may refer to:* Talus bone, connecting the leg to the foot.... at the base of a castle wall (as was common in CrusaderCrusades The Crusades were a series of military campaigns waged in the name of Christendom This term refers to a particular political... fortification) could have reduced the effectiveness of this tactic to an extent. Siege towers also became more elaborate during the medieval period; at the Siege of Kenilworth CastleKenilworth Castle Kenilworth Castle is in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England.... in 1266, for example, 200 archersArchery Archery is the practice of using a bow to shoot arrows.... and 11 catapults operated from a single tower. Even then, the siege lasted almost a year, making it the longest siege in English historyBritain in the Middle Ages "Medieval Britain" is a term used to suggest that there is a unity to the history of Great Britain from the 5th century with... . They were not invulnerable either, as during the Fall of ConstantinopleFall of Constantinople The Fall of Constantinople was the conquest of the Byzantine capital by the Ottoman Empire under the command of Sultan Mehme... in 1453, Ottoman siege towers were sprayed by the defenders with Greek fireGreek fire Greek fire was a burning-liquid weapon used by the Byzantine Empire, typically in naval battles to great effect as it could ... . Siege towers became vulnerable and obsolete with the development of large cannonCannon A cannon is any large tubular firearm designed to fire a heavy projectile over a considerable distance.... . They had only ever existed to get assaulting troops over high walls and large cannon also made high walls obsolete as fortification took a new direction. However, later constructions known as battery-towers took on a similar role in the gunpowderGunpowder Gunpowder, whether black powder or smokeless powder, is a substance that burns very rapidly, releasing gases tha... age; like siege-towers, these were built out of wood on site for mounting siege artilleryArtillery Historically, *artillery* refers to any engine used for the discharge of projectiles during war.... . One of these was built by the RussianRussians Russians are an East Slavic ethnic group, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries.... military engineerMilitary engineer A military engineer is primarily responsible for the design and construction of offensive, defensive and logistical structur... Ivan VyrodkovIvan Vyrodkov Ivan Grigoryevich Vyrodkov was a Russian military engineer, inventor, and diak.... during the siege of Kazan in 1552 (as part of the Russo-Kazan WarsRusso-Kazan Wars The Russo-Kazan Wars was a series of wars fought between the Khanate of Kazan and Muscovite Russia in the 15th and 16th cent... ), and could hold ten large-calibre cannon and 50 lighter cannon. Modern image Although siege towers have long been obviated as a military unit, they have appeared in several films: they were notably featured in Peter JacksonPeter Jackson Peter Jackson CNZM is a New Zealand-born filmmaker best known as the director of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, which h... 's film (2003) during the siege of Minas TirithMinas Tirith \|Minas Tirith is a fictional fortified city in J.... , and also in the 2005 film Kingdom of HeavenKingdom of Heaven (film) *Kingdom of Heaven* is a film released on May 6, 2005, written by William Monahan, and directed and produced by Ridley Sc... . They are popular, though not necessarily common, in both historical and fantasy miniature wargamingMiniature wargaming Miniature wargaming is a form of wargaming designed to incorporate miniatures or figurines into play, which was invented at ... , such as The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle GameThe Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game, often referred to by players as Lord of the Rings, is a tabletop miniature... . The Real Time Strategy game Empire EarthEmpire Earth *Empire Earth, also known as EE, is a real-time strategy computer game developed by Stainless Steel Studios and pub... also features siege towers as a unit. The computer game Age of MythologyAge of Mythology , the [[Egyptian mythology\|Ancie... features HelepolisHelepolis Helepolis* is an ancient siege engine invented by... units for the GreekGreeks The Greeks are an ethnic group mostly found in the southern Balkan peninsula of southeastern Europe and are primarily assoc... forces, firing ballistaBallista Summary The ballista was a powerful ancient crossbow.... e from range and being able to garrisonGarrison Garrison is the collective term for a body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, but now oft... other units as well as Egyptian Siege Towers which ram buildings, fire arrows at units and can also garrison units. The older Age Of Empires IAge of Empires *Age of Empires, abbreviated to AoE* or *AOE, is a history-based real-time strategy computer game relea... game also features Helepolis units, but instead as the upgraded version of the ballista. and offer a more realistic rendition of siege towers, used for attacking fortified walls. Additionally, although the rookRook (chess) A rook* is a piece in the strategy board game of chess.... in ChessFacts About Chess Chess is an abstract strategy board game and mental sport for two players.... originally symbolized a chariotChariot A chariot is a two-wheeled, horse-drawn vehicle.... , European adaptations of the game may have been influenced at least in part by Siege towers. Modern use As an example of the extremely rare use of something resembling siege towers in present times, the machinery used by police forces to enter UngdomshusetUngdomshuset Overview Ungdomshuset is a historic building located in Copenhagen on Jagtvej 69, Nrrebro, and is currently functioning as an undergr... in CopenhagenCopenhagen Copenhagen is the capital of Denmark and the country's largest city , at present made up of 16 municipalities.... , DenmarkDenmark The Kingdom of Denmark is the smallest and southernmost of the Nordic countries.... should be mentioned. On 1 March 2007, armored police officers were lifted to the upper levels of the building using small boom cranes. The officers were placed in containers which were lifted to the windows, thus enabling the police to gain access to the illegally held structure.