Greek

Siege machinery first appeared in the West during the Carthaginian invasion of Sicily in the late 5th century BC, in the form of siege-towers and battering rams. After a 50-year hiatus they re-appeared in the Macedonian armies of Philip II and Alexander the Great, a period that saw the height of the machinery's development in the Ancient World. Experience of Carthaginian practice during the later 3rd century, and familiarity with the operations of Philip V of Macedon during the early-2nd century, prompted the introduction of the siege-tower and the battering-ram to Roman siegecraft. This title traces the development and use of these weapons across the whole of this period.Introduction - Wheeled Towers (the siege-tower, the Helepolis of Epimachus, the Helepolis of Posidonius) - Tortoises (the 'ditch-filling' tortoise, the 'digging' tortoise, the ram-tortoise, the 'borer', Hegetor's ram-tortoise) - Ancillary machines (the 'sambuca', the 'tolleno') - Roman Siege Machinery (the siege-tower, the ram-tortoise, miscellaneous shelters) - Colour plate commentary