Engines of Destruction

The Battering Ram

The earliest siege engine in existence was the Battering Ram.
The simplest battering ram is simply a big log, carried by the hands of a large number of people.
It was propelled with force at an obstacle, most often gates, to know them down.

However, there is a limit to how big and heavy such a ram could be, and more complex designs involve a much bigger log slung by ropes from a wooden frame. It would be rolled to the gates, and the log would be drawn back and released.
This design has an additional advantage:
The frame could support a roof over the people using the ram, to protect them from the defender’s fire.

Another design used wheels on the log itself, or rollers beneath it. This allows for greater speed, and thus greater force, to be used.