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Medieval Battering Ram
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When knights and
men at arms traveled to war, one of the most challenging
obstacles they faced was finding supplies and provisions.
When they traveled, they were not able to transport larger
items. Thus when they arrived for battle they had to live
off of the land. This was true not only for provisions,
but also for many of their larger weapons and siege engines,
particularly the battering ram.
The concept behind the battering ram is simple –
momentum coupled with mass. In other words, take a heavy
object and hurl it repeatedly at a stationary object,
such as a door or gate, to break through the object. Typically
a large tree would be felled and the branches removed
to allow those that remained to be used as grips. A group
of soldiers would lift the tree trunk and, after a running
start to build momentum, ram the trunk into whatever they
wanted to break through, generally a castle gate. If this
was done enough times, the door would break open. Sometimes
the tree trunk was affixed to a support system that was
then positioned in front of the door or gate and swung
like a pendulum. This allowed larger rams to be used,
operated by fewer men. The support system could also be
covered to shield and protect those operating the ram
from attack.
The battering ram, while basic in function and design,
remains a popular weapon today seeing use in military
and police settings. |
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