FORTIFICATION
AND
SIEGECRAFT
An
excellent
r^um^,
with
plans
and
photographs,
both
of
the
Taanach
and
the
Megiddo
fortresses,
is
given
by
Father
Vincent
in
hia
Canaan
d'aprks
I'
exploration
recente,
pp.
47-65.
More
easily
accessible
to
the
ordinary
student
ia_
the
detailed
account,
with
measurements
and
plans,
of
the
citadel
of
Tell
Zakariya
—
peihaps
the
ancient
Azekah
fortified
by
Rehoboam
(2
Ch
11',
cf
.
Jer34')
—
given
by
Bliss
and
Macalister
in
their
Excavations,
etc.,
pp.
14-23,
and
plates
2-5.
6.
No
mention
has
as
yet
been
made
of
an
important
element
in
the
line
of
a
city's
defences,
namely,
the
gates.
These
were
as
few
as
possible,
as
being
the
weakest
part
of
the
defence,
and
for
the
same
reason
the
strongest
towers
are
found
on
either
side
of
the
gates
(cf.
2
Ch
26').
The
most
effective
arrangement
was
to
make
the
gateway
a
passage
through
a
single
gate-tower,
which
projected
beyond
both
the
outer
and
inner
faces
of
the
wall.
In
such
cases
two
gates
were
provided,
an
outer
and
an
inner,
at
either
end
of
the
passage,
as
was
the
case
at
Mahanaim,
where
David
is
found
sitting
'between
the
two
gates'
(2
S
18^).
Here
we
further
learn
that
it
was
usual
to
have
a
stair
leading
up
to
an
upper
storey
in
the
gate-tower
(v."),
the
roof
of
which
was
apparently
on
a
level
with
the
top
of
the
city
wall
(v.2<).
In
place
of
a
straight
passage-way
through
the
tower,
a
passage
bent
at
a
right
angle
like
the
letter
L
increased
the
possibilities
of
defence.
In
most
cases
the
base
of
the
L
would
be
on
the
inside,
towards
the
city,
but
in
one
of
the
Taanach
forts
above
referred
to
the
outer
gate
is
in
the
side
of
an
outer
tower,
and
it
is
the
inner
gate
that
is
in
line
with
the
walls
(see
restored
plan
in
Vincent,
op.
cit.
59).
The
average
width
of
the
numerous
gateways
laid
bare
by
recent
excavation
is
about
nine
feet.
The
gate
itself,
called
the
'
door
of
the
gate
'
in
Neh
6',
consisted
ordinarily
of
two
parts
or
leaves
(Is
45')
of
wood.
For
greater
security
against
fire
these
were
often
overlaid
with
bronze,
the
'gates
of
brass'
of
Ps
107",
Is
452.
The
leaves
were
hung
on
pivots
which
turned
in
sockets
in
the
sill
and
lintel,
and
were
fastened
by
bolts
let
into
the
former.
A
strong
bar
or
bars
of
wood,
bronze
(1
K
4'^),
or
iron
(Job
40")
secured
the
whole
gate,
passing
transversely
into
sockets
in
the
gate-posts,
as
we
learn
from
Samson's
exploit
at
Gaza
(Jg
16'-3).
'To
have
the
charge
of
the
gate'
(2
K
7")
was
a
military
post
of
honour,
as
this
passage
shows.
In
war
time,
at
least,
a
sentinel
was
posted
on
the
roof
of
the
gate-house
or
tower
(2
S
18=1,
cf.
2
K
9").
6.
It
remains
to
deal
briefly
with
the
siegecraft
of
the
Hebrews
and
their
contemporaries.
A
'fenced'
or
fortified
place
might
be
captured
in
three
ways:
(a)
by
assault
or
storm,
(6)
by
a
blockade,
or
(c)
by
a
regular
siege,
(a)
The
first
method
was
most
likely
to
succeed
in
the
case
of
places
of
moderate
strength,
or
where
treachery
was
at
work
(cf.
Jg
l^*").
The
assault
was
directed
against
the
weakest
points
of
the
enceinte,
particularly
the
gates
(cf.
Is
28").
Before
the
Hebrews
learned
the
use
of
the
battering-ram,
entrance
to
an
enemy's
city
or
fortress
was
obtained
by
setting
fire
to
the
gates
(Jg
9"'
''),
and
by
scaling
the
walls
by
means
of
scaling-ladders,
under
cover
of
a
deadly
shower
of
arrows
and
sling-stones.
According
to
1
Ch
11",
Joab
was
the
first
to
scale
the
walls
of
the
Jebusite
fortress
of
Zion,
when
David
took
it
by
assault.
Although
scaling-ladders
are
explicitly
mentioned
only
in'l
Mac
5'"
—
a
prior
reference
may
be
found
in
Pr
21^2
—
they
are
familiar
objects
in
the
Egyptian
representations
of
sieges
from
an
early
date,
as
well
as
in
the
later
Assyrian
representations,
and
may
be
assumed
to
have
been
used
by
the
Hebrews
from
the
first.
In
early
times,
as
is
plain
from
the
accounts
of
the
capture
of
Al
(Jos
8'"-)
and
Shechem
(Jg
g*^-),
a
favourite
stratagem
was
to
entice
the
defenders
from
the
city
by
a
pretended
flight,
and
then
a
force
placed
in
ambush
would
make
a
dash
for
the
gate.
(6)
The
second
method
was
to
completely
surround
the
city,
and,
by
preventing
ingress
and
egress,
to
starve
it
into
surrender.
This
was
evidently
the
method
FORTIFICATION
AND
SIEGECRAFT
adopted
by
Joab
at
the
blockade
of
Rabbath-ammon,
which
was
foiced
to
capitulate
after
the
capture
of
the
'water
fort'
(for
this
rendering
see
Cent.
Bible
on
2
S
122"
),
by
which
the
defenders'
main
water-supply
was
cut
off.
(c)
In
conducting
a
regular
siege,
which
of
course
included
both
blockade
and
assault,
the
first
step
was
to
'cast
up
a
bank'
(AV
2
S
20",
2
K
19»2,
Is
37»)
or
mount
(AV
Ezk
4^
17"—
RV
has
'mount,'
Amer.
RV
'
mound
'
throughout).
This
was
a
mound
of
earth
which
was
gradually
advanced
till
it
reached
the
walls,
and
was
almost
equal
to
them
in
height,
and
from
which
the
besiegers
could
meet
the
besieged
on
more
equal
terms.
The
'
mount
'
is
first
met
with
in
the
account
of
Joab's
siege
of
Abel
of
Beth-maacah
(2
S
20'6<').
In
EV
Joab
is
represented
as,
at
the
same,
time,
'battering'
or,
in
RVm,
'undermining'
the
wall,
but
the
text
is
here
in
some
disorder.
Battering-rams
are
first
mentioned
in
Ezekiel,
and
are
scarcely
to
be
expected
so
early
as
the
time
of
David.
The
Egyptians
used
a
long
pole,
with
a
metal
point
shaped
like
a
spear-head,
which
was
not
swung
but
worked
by
hand,
and
could
only
be
effective,
therefore,
against
walls
of
crude
brick
(see
illustr.
in
Wilkinson,
Anc.
Egypt,
1.
242).
The
battering-engines
(Ezk
26»
RV;
AV
'engines
of
war
')
of
the
Assyrians
were
called
'
rams
'
by
the
Hebrews
(Ezk
42
21«),
from
their
butting
action,
although
they
were
vrithout
the
familiar
ram's
head
of
the
Roman
aries.
The
Assyrian
battering-ram
ended
either
in
a
large
spear-head,
as
with
the
Egyptians,
or
in
a
flat
head
shod
with
metal,
and
was
worked
under
the
shelter
of
large
wooden
towers
mounted
on
four
or
six
wheels,
of
which
there
are
many
representations
in
the
Assyrian
wall
sculptures
(see
illustr.
in
Toy's
'
Ezekiel,'
SBOT,
102).
These
towers
were
sometimes
of
several
storeys,
in
which
archers
were
stationed,
and
were
moved
forward
against
the
walls
on
the
mounds
above
described.
When
Nebuchadnezzar
laid
siege
to
Jerusalem,
his
troops
are
said
to
have
'built
forts
against
it
round
about'
(2
K
25",
cf.
Ezk
4^),
but
the
original
term
is
obscure,
and
is
rather,
probably,
to
be
understood
in
the
sense
of
a
siege-wall
or
circumvallatio
—
the
'
bank
'
of
Lk
19"
RV
—
for
the
purpose
of
making
the
blockade
effective.
On
the
other
hand,
the
btilwarks
of
Dt
202",
also
Ec
9",
which
had
to
be
made
of
wood
other
than
'trees
for
meat,'
properly
denote
wooden
forts
or
other
siege
works
(Is
29'
RV)
built
for
the
protection
of
the
besiegers
in
tlieir
efforts
to
storm
or
undermine
the
walls.
7.
The
Assyrian
sculptures
give
life-like
pictures
of
the
various
operations
of
ancient
siegecraft.
Here
we
see
the
massive
battering-rams
detaching
the
stones
or
bricks
from
an
angle
of
the
wall,
while
the
defenders,
by
means
of
a
grappling-chain,
are
attempting
to
drag
the
ram
from
its
covering
tower.
There
the
archers
are
pouring
a
heavy
fire
on
the
men
upon
the
wall,
from
behind
large
rectangular
shields
or
screens
of
wood
or
wickerwork,
standing
on
the
ground,
with
a
small
projecting
cover.
These
are
Intended
by
the
'shield'
of
2
K
1932,
the
'buckler
'of
Ezk
26»,
and
the
'mantelet'
of
Nah
2',
all
named
iii
connexion
with
siege
works.
In
another
place
the
miners
are
busy
undermining
the
wall
with
picks,
protected
by
a
curved
screen
of
wicker-work
supported
by
a
pole
(illustr.
of
both
screens
in
Toy,
op.
cit.
149;
cf.
Wilkinson,
op.
cit.
i.
243).
The
monuments
also
show
that
the
Assyrians
had
machines
for
casting
large
stones
long
before
the
Urrmenia,
or
siege-artillery,
are
said
to
have
been
invented
in
Sicily
in
B.C.
399.
By
the
'
artillery
'
of
1
S
20«i
AV
is,
of
course,
meant
the
ordinary
bow
and
arrows;
but
Uzziah
is
credited
by
the
Chronicler
with
having
'
made
engines
invented
by
cunning
men
to
be
on
the
towers
and
upon
the
battlements
to
shoot
arrows
and
great
stones
withal'
(2
Ch
26>').
The
Books
of
the
Maccabees
show
that
by
the
second
century,
at
least,
the
Jews
were
not
behind
their
neighbours
in
the
use
of
the
artillery
(1
Mac
6"'-
AV)
of
the
period,
'engines
of
war
and
