Ancient War Machines

Discover Ancient War Machines

Ancient war machines: catapults and siege towers

By Alexander Rudow

Half a millennium BC, warfare was revolutionized in the first century BC. The invention of the torsion cannon and mathematical advances in engineering, reflected in the design of mobile siege towers, led to the construction of unprecedented war machines that could greatly intimidate defenders and paved the way for the first true artillery. The Roman Empire ultimately utilized new technologies with ruthless efficiency, thus creating a lasting superiority in the world of the time. This richly illustrated new work captivatingly illustrates the construction and use of ancient war machines, but also describes their devastating effects—for ultimately, it was about perfecting conquest, subjugation, and murder.

From simple devices such as battering rams or wall drills to weapons such as pistols, ballistas, and catapults, to sometimes monumental siege towers or individual strokes of genius such as Archimedes' burning mirror, the author offers an often surprising foray into the history of ancient military technology, which here and there can be perceived as the starting point of a line of development that extends to today, in the age of highly technical slaughter.

- 96 Pages
- Hc with dust jacket
- 24 X 24 cm

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