fortifications were built with towers that were literally an arrows throw of each other. In
addition,
the attackers would have to be prepared with either a battering ram to break down the gates
and
make a hole in the wall, or they would have to scale the wall itself, which is not that simple
either. The attackers would also have to somehow manage to keep the morale of the troops
high
if the plan is to starve the town into submission, which can take months or even years. This task
alone places the attackers at a great disadvantage. While they are starving
their targets, they themselves have to find food. Usually what occurs is that the troops have to
use
the surrounding foliage.Eventually they have to keep going farther and farther back in order to
grow food. Basically, the attackers do not have the advantage of time. The defenders are most
likely well prepared for situations like sieges and therefore have food and supplies in stock,
whereas the attackers have accumulate all the resources on the spot. Back then, feudalism was
the reigning system of government, and many of the troops for te attackers were farmers with
estate and families. The longer the siege, the more the troops had to be paid, and harder
commanders had to work to keep their morale up. While it may seem as though the defenders
were triumphant with their walls, they themselves were often betrayed by their own creation.
If their attackers came well-prepared for a siege, then they were at a real disadvantage.
No
amount of time can deter a determined enemy. Usually,the attackers scale the wall at a
defenseless point or attack at a vulnerable time. If these two plans fail, a "starve 'em out"
method
is used. By doing this, attackers prevent supplies from going in or out, as well as reinforcements
reaching the defenders. This also prevents the defenders performing sneak attacks as a way of
harassing the outside troops. Most importantly, a siege prevents messengers with important
information form going in or out. As it can be seen, fortifications were used as a weapon, much
like any other. It had both advantages and disadvantages for both the attacker and his target.
The use fortification walls can be dated as far back as 7000 BC. Siege warfare was
especially prominent in the Near East and Europe from the Neolithic period to the early Roman
Empire. The fortification wall has been used since then. Several thousand years later, by the 9th
century BC, the battering ram first appeared. Fortifications were built as a response to siege
equipment. Paul Bentley Kern, in his book, Ancient Siege Warfare, discussed the good
fortifications made by the Greeks. However, he said that the Greek fortification could not stand
up to the more advanced siege equipment of the Near East, and thus they usually employed the
'starve into submission' method. Although fortifications played a major role in ancient warfare, it
became obsolete with the creation of the cannon. It's mark on ancient history and the world's
landscape, has yet to diminish.
Resources:
Lok, Peter. A Survey of Ancient Fortification and Artillery Technology. 1998. 6 December
2003.
<http://www.dragonridge.com/stories/Ancient_Fortification_Artillery.html>
Stein, Stuart. H-Net Book Review. 2 November 2000. 6 December 2003.
<http://www.ess.uwe.ac.uk/genocide/reviewstr29.htm>
