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A battering ram is a siege engine originating in ancient times to break open fortification walls or doors. Replica battering ram at Château des Baux, France. ... Ancient redirects here. ... For the fortification of food, see Food fortification. ...

In its simplest form, a battering ram is just a large, heavy log carried by several people and propelled with force against an obstacle; the momentum of the ram would be sufficient to damage the target if the log were massive enough and/or it were moved quickly enough (i.e., had sufficient velocity). This article is about momentum in physics. ...

Assyrian Battering Ram

In a more sophisticated design, a battering ram was slung from a wheeled support frame by ropes or chains so that it could be much more massive and also more easily swung against its target. Sometimes the ram's attacking point would be reinforced with a metal head and vulnerable parts of the ram might be bound with metal bands. Many battering rams had protective roofs and side-screens covered in materials, usually fresh wet hides, presumably from the animals eaten by the besiegers, to prevent the ram being set on fire, as well as to protect the operators of the ram from enemies firing arrows down on them by allowing them to seek shelter within the battering ram structure. The image of the Assyrian battering ram shows how sophisticated attacks and defences had become by the 9th century BC. The defenders are trying to set the ram alight with torches and have also put a chain under the ram. The attackers are trying to pull on the chain to free the ram, while the aforementioned wet hides would protect against the fire.

In castles, defenders attempted to foil battering rams by dropping obstacles in front of the ram, such as a large sack of sawdust, just before it hit a wall, by using grappling hooks to immobilize the log, by setting the ram on fire, or by sallying to attack the ram directly.

Replica battering ram at Château des Baux, France.

Some battering rams were not slung from ropes or chains, but were instead supported by rollers. This allowed the ram to achieve a greater speed before striking its target and was therefore more destructive. Such a ram, as used by Alexander the Great, is described by the writer Vitruvius. Battering ram at Château des Baux, France Image by ChrisO File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Battering ram at Château des Baux, France Image by ChrisO File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... For the film of the same name, see Alexander the Great (1956 film). ... Marcus Vitruvius Pollio (born c. ...

Variations on the battering ram included the drill, the mouse, the pick, and the siege hook. These were smaller than a ram and could be used in more limited spaces. A siege hook is a weapon used to pull stones from a wall during a siege. ...

Battering rams had an important effect on the evolution of defensive walls.

Historical battering ram usages include:

• Destruction of Jerusalem
• Used throughout the Crusades
• The fall of Rome

There is a popular myth in Gloucester that the famous children's rhyme, Humpty Dumpty, is about a battering ram used in the siege of Gloucester in 1643, during the English Civil War. However, the story is almost certainly untrue; during the siege, which lasted only one month, no battering rams were used, although many cannons were. The idea seems to have originated in a spoof history essay by Professor David Daube written for The Oxford Magazine in 1956, which was widely believed despite obvious improbabilities (e.g., planning to cross River Severn by running the ram down a hill at speed, although the river is about 30 m (100 feet) wide at this point). For other uses, see Jerusalem (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Rome (disambiguation). ... This article is about the city of Gloucester in England; for other uses see Gloucester (disambiguation). ... This article is about the nursery rhyme. ... For other uses, see English Civil War (disambiguation). ... Severn redirects here. ... This article is about the unit of length. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ...

A capped ram is a battering ram that has an accessory at the head (usually made of iron or steel and sometimes shaped into the head and horns of a ram) to do more damage to a building.

Modern use

Battering rams still serve many different roles in modern times, sometimes mounted on vehicles. SWAT teams and other police forces often use small two-man metal rams for opening locked doors and effecting a forced entry. Other modern battering rams include a cylinder in which a piston gets fired automatically upon impact, which enhances the momentum of the impact significantly. This article is about Special Weapons And Tactics. ... Forcible entry is the act of entering a house or building with destructive methods. ...

Use in fiction

• In The Lord of the Rings, a battering ram named Grond, the Hammer of the Underworld, was used in the breaking of the great gate of Minas Tirith.