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Siege | warfare | Britannica
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mx-15 mb-15 mt-20"> Directory </div><span class="toc-extra-link selected link-gray-900 mt-15"> References </span> </div> <div class="mb-30 tlr-discover"> <div class="text-gray-900 p-5 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-10 mb-10"> Discover </div> <div class="imagelink-with-image-on-the-side card card-horizontal tlr-img-with-side-link ml-15 link-gray-900 mb-10"> <div class="position-relative card-media" style="flex: 0;"><a class="ilf-image position-relative" href="https://www-britannica-com.translate.goog/list/7-of-the-worlds-deadliest-shipwrecks?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/41/182141-131-32BD2459/Lusitania-sinking-U-boat-German-May-1915.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop" alt="Lusitania sinking, illustration from The War of the Nations (New York), December 31, 1919. World War I, WWI. This image is one of three on the page. 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Engraving by Cosomo Colombini (d. 1812) after a Leonardo self portrait. Ca. 1500." width="200" height="200"> </a> </div> <div class="card-body ilf-content"><a class="font-weight-semi-bold d-block mb-5 font-16 ilf-title" href="https://www-britannica-com.translate.goog/list/10-famous-artworks-by-leonardo-da-vinci?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB">10 Famous Artworks by Leonardo da Vinci</a> </div> </div> <div class="imagelink-with-image-on-the-side card card-horizontal tlr-img-with-side-link ml-15 link-gray-900 mb-10"> <div class="position-relative card-media" style="flex: 0;"><a class="ilf-image position-relative" href="https://www-britannica-com.translate.goog/list/9-noteworthy-bog-bodies-and-what-they-tell-us?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/68/178968-131-ADEF94E7/bog-body-Head-Tollund-Man-Human-remains-1950.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop" alt="Bog body. Head of Tollund Man. 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In the Cold Harbor, Va., campaign, when General Ulysses S. Grant sent his…</p><a class="read-more" href="https://www-britannica-com.translate.goog/technology/fortification?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB#ref521234">Read More</a></li> </ul> </section> <section> <h3>innovations of Vauban</h3> <ul class="list-unstyled"> <li> <div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"> <img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/97/227397-050-C0357CFC/Sebastien-Le-Prestre-de-Vauban-French-Military-engineer.jpg?w=300" alt="Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban" data-width="1280" data-height="1600" loading="lazy"> </div><span class="index-xref">In <a href="https://www-britannica-com.translate.goog/biography/Sebastien-Le-Prestre-de-Vauban?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB#ref117878" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban</a></span><p class="topic-paragraph">… who revolutionized the art of siege craft and defensive fortifications. He fought in all of France’s wars of Louis XIV’s reign (1643–1715).</p><a class="read-more" href="https://www-britannica-com.translate.goog/biography/Sebastien-Le-Prestre-de-Vauban?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB#ref117878">Read More</a></li> </ul> </section> <section> <h3>use against fortifications</h3> <ul class="list-unstyled"> <li> <div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"> <img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/35/122235-050-E11FDA3B/Cold-War-poster-equipment-Soviet-army.jpg?w=300" alt="Red Army" data-width="1600" data-height="1202" loading="lazy"> </div><span class="index-xref">In <a href="https://www-britannica-com.translate.goog/technology/military-technology/Mechanical-artillery?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB#ref521931" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">military technology: Siege towers</a></span><p class="topic-paragraph">So large was one siege tower used by Macedonians in an attack on Rhodes that 3,400 men were required to move it up to the city walls. Another 1,000 men were needed to wield a battering ram 180 feet (55 metres) long. The Romans constructed huge siege towers, one…</p><a class="read-more" href="https://www-britannica-com.translate.goog/technology/military-technology/Mechanical-artillery?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB#ref521931">Read More</a></li> <li> <div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"> <img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/35/122235-050-E11FDA3B/Cold-War-poster-equipment-Soviet-army.jpg?w=300" alt="Red Army" data-width="1600" data-height="1202" loading="lazy"> </div><span class="index-xref">In <a href="https://www-britannica-com.translate.goog/technology/military-technology/The-castle?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB#ref521966" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">military technology: Siege weapons</a></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The most basic means of taking a fortress were to storm the gate or go over the wall by simple escalade using ladders, but these methods rarely succeeded except by surprise or treachery. Beginning in the 9th century, European engineers constructed wheeled wooden…</p><a class="read-more" href="https://www-britannica-com.translate.goog/technology/military-technology/The-castle?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB#ref521966">Read More</a></li> </ul> </section> </section> </div> </div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320" data-page="1"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> </div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript> <iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe> </noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script><!-- Ortto ebmwprod capture code --> <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"INDEX","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":1,"pageId":543195,"pageLength":0,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.130.14"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.130.14' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"B","adLeg":"B","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"INDEX","gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":false} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> <script defer src="https://static.cloudflareinsights.com/beacon.min.js/vcd15cbe7772f49c399c6a5babf22c1241717689176015" integrity="sha512-ZpsOmlRQV6y907TI0dKBHq9Md29nnaEIPlkf84rnaERnq6zvWvPUqr2ft8M1aS28oN72PdrCzSjY4U6VaAw1EQ==" data-cf-beacon="{"rayId":"8ea385002b28a11c","version":"2024.10.5","serverTiming":{"name":{"cfExtPri":true,"cfL4":true,"cfSpeedBrain":true,"cfCacheStatus":true}},"token":"5cc7d7124de641b181da990fc8c9a0b6","b":1}" crossorigin="anonymous"></script> <script>function gtElInit() {var lib = new google.translate.TranslateService();lib.translatePage('en', 'en', function () {});}</script> <script src="https://translate.google.com/translate_a/element.js?cb=gtElInit&hl=en-GB&client=wt" type="text/javascript"></script> </body> </html>