battering ram Summary and Overview
Bible Dictionaries at a Glance
battering ram in Smith's Bible Dictionary
#Eze 4:2; 21:22| a large beam with a head of iron which was sometimes made to resemble the head of a ram. It was suspended by ropes to a beam supported by posts, and balanced so as to swing backward and forward, and was impelled by men against the wall. In attacking the walls of a fort or city, the first step appears to have been to form an inclined plane or bank of earth, comp. #Eze 4:2| "cast a mount against it," by which the besiegers could bring their battering-rams and other engines to the foot of the walls. "The battering-rams," says Mr. Layard "were of several kinds. Some were joined to movable towers which held warriors and armed men. The whole then formed one great temporary building, the top of which is represented in sculptures as on a level with the walls, and even turrets, of the besieged city. In some bas-reliefs the battering-ram is without wheels: it was then perhaps constructed upon the spot and was not intended to be moved."
battering ram in Schaff's Bible Dictionary
BAT'TERING-RAM . Eze 4:2 and Eze 21:22. This was a long beam of strong wood, usually oak, sometimes connected with a carriage or framework of heavy timber. One end was shaped like a ram's head, which when driven repeatedly and with great force against the wall of a city or fortification either pierced it or battered it down. In the tower of the structure in which the battering-ram was hung were often posted Ancient Battering-ram. archers and slingers, who fired at the defenders upon the walls while their comrades were pushing the ram along or working it against the walls. See War.