“Make way for the battering ram,” roared a man in a red tunic. He was leading some of his slaves who were carrying a battering ram. They want to breach through the main castle with the battering ram.
A battering ram is designed to break the gates or walls of a castle through repeated heavy impacts. The first rams were large tree trunks carried by hand and crashed into the wall as hard as possible. Later more sophisticated siege engines were built with wheels that enclosed the ram under an arrow-proof roof. This allowed the attackers to move the ram close to the wall or gate protected from the defenders. The ram itself would be hung by chains or ropes enabling it to be swung freely.
Rams were most effective against wooden gates or soft stone walls. Harder stones, such as granite, were mu
