Siege Warfare
In the Hellenistic period, development in science was incredibly noteworthy and that could not but reflect on siegecraft. Archimedes developed machines, which terrified the Roman assailants of Syracuse, Demetrius Poliorcetes was notorious for the incredible size of the siege machines employed in his exploits, especially against the city of Rhodes. Yet, most sieges were realized in more traditional ways, relying on speed, surprise and traitors rather than long lasting preparations and exhausting battering. Livius is very descriptive regarding the harassing manner of military campaigns, a complicated game of continuous attacks, moving of forces and constant patrols.
Read more about this topic: Hellenistic Armies
Famous quotes containing the words siege and/or warfare:
“One likes people much better when they’re battered down by a prodigious siege of misfortune than when they triumph.”
—Virginia Woolf (1882–1941)
“What an admirable training is science for the more active warfare of life! Indeed, the unchallenged bravery which these studies imply, is far more impressive than the trumpeted valor of the warrior.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)