The New Student's Reference Work/Battering Ram

Bat′tering Ram, an instrument of war used in ancient times. It was a beam of wood, with a head of iron or bronze, like a ram's head. It was used to batter down walls and doors, and was either carried by the soldiers or fastened in a frame and made to swing. Another kind moved on rollers. To protect those who were operating it, a wooden roof was built over it and the whole mounted on wheels. The ram varied in length from 60 to 120 feet, the head sometimes weighing over a ton, and as many as a hundred men were needed to manage it. The Romans borrowed it from the Greeks, but who invented it is not known.