siege tower

A siege tower or breaching tower is a specialized siege engine, constructed to protect assailants and ladders while approaching the defensive walls of a fortification. The tower was often rectangular with four wheels with its height roughly equal to that of the wall or sometimes higher to allow archers or crossbowmen to stand on top of the tower and shoot arrows or quarrels into the fortification. While the towers were primarily constructed of wood and thus flammable, their builders typically incorporated whatever non-flammable coverings could be readily procured including iron and/or fresh animal skins.

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Wikimedia, Wikidata
belfry; breaching tower
tower, siege engine, 

bastida, helepolis, mangonel, polybolos, sambuca, springald, 

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Location: KML, Cluster Map, Maps,

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  bastida ⓘ
  

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  helepolis ⓘ
  Hellenistic siege engine

Frameless

Barotius

Serpentine (détail d'une miniature des Vigiles de Charles VII)

Иллюстрация к статье «Ассирийские войны» № 2. Военная энциклопедия Сытина (Санкт-Петербург, 1911-1915)

Assyrian Attack on a Town

SiegeOfOrleans1429 (cropped)

Denis1

1099 Siege of Jerusalem

15th-century depiction of the Siege of Orléans of 1429, from Les Vigiles de Charles VII by Martial d'Auvergne

Siege of Jerusalem 1099 BNF

HeroofByzantiumsiegetower

Type	Subtype	Date	Description	Notes	Source
class	weapon		bastida	siege engine, siege tower	Wikidata
class	weapon		helepolis	siege tower	Wikidata
commons	image		Barotius		Commons
commons	image		Serpentine (détail d'une miniature des Vigiles de Charles VII)		Commons
commons	image		Иллюстрация к статье «Ассирийские войны» № 2. Военная энциклопедия Сытина (Санкт-Петербург, 1911-1915)		Commons
commons	image		Assyrian Attack on a Town		Commons
commons	image		SiegeOfOrleans1429 (cropped)		Commons
commons	image		Denis1		Commons
commons	image		1099 Siege of Jerusalem		Commons
commons	image		15th-century depiction of the Siege of Orléans of 1429, from Les Vigiles de Charles VII by Martial d'Auvergne		Commons
commons	image		Siege of Jerusalem 1099 BNF		Commons
commons	image		HeroofByzantiumsiegetower		Commons