"Forty-six of [Hezekiah's]... towns and innumerable smaller villages [I] besieged and conquered."
King Sennacherib of Assyria
The battering ram has none of the subtleties of the Trojan horse, but the results are the same; an uninvited entry. Principally weapons of war, early battering rams were heavy wooden beams, sometimes with a metal- covered end that was on occasion shaped as a ram's head (hence the name), whose sole purpose was to breach the fortifications of towns and castles.
In its simplest mode of operation, the battering ram was carried by several people who would run with the ram and thrust it at the target with as much force as they could muster. The key to success was speed, however, and later rams were wheeled.
Battering rams became increasingly sophisticated. One important example was the siege engine of the
Assyrians of circa 1000 B.C.E. Their ram was suspended from a covered wooden frame so that it could be continuously swung at the target, while the frame provided protection for the soldiers within. Wet hides or earth were used to defend against flaming arrows. Mounted on wheels, this ram was easily maneuvered.
Despite changes in warfare, battering rams still have their place today, attached to military vehicles. One person-operated metal rams are also used by today's law enforcement agencies.
