Where Does the Word Battering Ram Come from?

A battering ram is a siege engine that originated in ancient times and was designed to break open the masonry walls of fortifications or splinter their wooden gates. ... Later rams encased the log in an arrow-proof, fire-resistant canopy mounted on wheels.

Who first used the battering ram?

Pioneered by the ancient Assyrians, battering rams broke the restrictions of hoplite warfare dramatically, making formerly impregnable city walls vulnerable to attack.

What are battering rams called?

A′RIES (κριός), the battering-ram, was used to shake, perforate, and batter down the walls of besieged cities. It consisted of a large beam, made of the trunk of a tree, especially of a fir or an ash.