Roman Siege Machines
To be successful at conquering their enemies, Romans had to develop
good methods of breaking into walled forts and cities. Three weapons the Romans
developed to help with the task were the onager, ballista, and catapulta. The
onager was type of catapult used for hurling large rocks up to one thousand
feet (three hundred meters).
The
ballista and catapulta were types of high-powered crossbows which hurled missiles
long distances or pierce armor. The Romans are known to have built movable towers
to capture walled cities. They also built dirt ramps to the top of walls. The
tortoise formation used by the infantry was designed for such sieges.
Roman Army Introduction | Army Structure | Auxiliaries | Army Daily Life
Army Formations | Roman Fort | Roman Navy | Siege Warfare
