The Assyrian battering-ram

They may have been effective war machines, but the mobility of battering-rams in the Assyrian army must have been somewhat limited. They were huge.

Reconstruction of an Assyrian battering-ram

One type moved on six wheels, its body built on a wooden frame, and its sides covered by a conglomeration of wicker shields common to the army of Ashurnasirpal

From the size and number of the shields, we can calculate the measurements of the body of the battering-ram as between 4 and 6 meters in length and between 2 and 3 meters in height.

Its front was further heightened by a round domed turret

This may have been made of metal. Inside this turret hung the rope to which the battering beam was attached like a pendulum.

The turret also contained openings through which the crew could fire and, more importantly, could watch the walls and direct the operation of the battering-ram while they themselves were protected.

The turret itself was about 3 meters high, giving the front portion of the body an overall height of 5 to 6 meters from the ground.