Page 22 - BBC History The Story of Science & Technology - 2017 UK

Ideas & Inventions / Romans

SIEGE WARFARE
W
Engineering savvy and superior
weaponry meant the Romans
W COUNTING THE DAYS were masters of siege warfare

Julius Caesar brought time into line with a 12-month calendar The Romans didn’t invent siege warfare,
that would provide stability for centuries but they certainly mastered it. It is fair
to say that if Roman legions made it as
The Julian calendar was not the first needed adjustments. Once again, far as an enemy city or fort, the defenders
calendar, but has been the most what had been in use previously were at a disadvantage, no matter how
influential in European history. Julius was refined and recalibrated in 1582 high or how thick their walls. Alongside
Caesar didn’t put his name to the to become our modern-day Grego- brutal tactics, the Romans had a number
months, however; this was done later rian calendar. of weapons to bring a siege to a
in his honour. The old Quintilis was successful conclusion.
changed to Iulius (July) and the One of these deadly tools was a ballista
eighth month became known as (what the modern world would call a
Augustus (August). catapult), which hurled stones or some-
The Julian calendar, brought into times pots of Greek fire, the ancient
effect by Caesar in 45 BC, has a equivalent of napalm. Depending on
regular year of 365 days, divided into circumstances, ballistas could also be
12 months, with a leap day added mounted on warships. The Romans were
to February every four years. exceptional engineers who could usually
This system worked well for determine the weak spots in defenders’
over a millennium. walls and would keep pounding them until
However, the year isn’t exactly they came down. A later version of the
365¼ days long. Although this ballista was called an onager, which did
was only a tiny discrepancy, over pretty much the same job but was cheaper
the centuries it began to cause and easier to build.
problems – the calendar year gained November depicted in a third-century The scorpio, meanwhile, was like a large
about three days every four centuries. mosaic of the months in El Djem version of a crossbow. It could fire bolts GETTY
So over long periods of time, it archaeological museum, Tunisia over long distances (well out of the range

22 The Story of Science & Technology