Battering ram

A battering ram is a siege engine from ancient times. It was used to break open walls or gates of fortifications. The simplest type is a big, heavy log carried by people. When pushed hard against a wall or gate, it can break it because of its momentum.

Later battering rams had the log inside a special cover. This cover protected the log from arrows and fire. It was on wheels, and the log was swung with chains or ropes.

Battering rams were useful in wars because walls made of stone or brick could crack when hit many times. After enough hits, the wall would break, and attackers could enter.

In the later Middle Ages, cannons using gunpowder became common in sieges. This made traditional battering rams less important. Today, smaller battering rams are used by police and soldiers to open locked doors.

A capped ram is a special type of battering ram with a strong metal tip on the front. This tip, sometimes shaped like the head and horns of an ovine ram, helped break buildings more easily, but it was also heavier to carry.

Design

The earliest picture of a battering ram is from an ancient Egyptian tomb. It shows soldiers carrying a long pole to break through walls.

In old times, people made battering rams by hanging a heavy log from a wheeled frame. They often put metal tips on the log and protected it with metal bands. Some rams had roofs and side screens made from wet hides to keep them safe.

Battering rams were important tools in old battles to break through strong walls and gates.

Notable sieges

Battering rams helped change how city walls were built. They were used in famous battles, like when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem, during the Crusades, and when Rome was attacked in 410. They were also used in the many sieges of Constantinople.

There is a story from Gloucester, England, that the rhyme Humpty Dumpty is about a battering ram from 1643 during the Civil War. But this isn’t true. No battering rams were used in that battle, only cannons.

Modern use

Battering rams are still used today. Police use small metal tools, sometimes called enforcers, to open locked doors during emergencies. These tools may use air power with a pneumatic cylinder and piston to make the impact stronger when hitting a hard object, increasing the momentum of the strike.