- Battering Ram
Assyrians build a new siege weapon.
The battering ram has none of the subtleties of the Trojan horse, but the results are the same; an uninvited entry. Principally weapons of war, early battering ram's were heavy wooden beams, sometimes with a metal covered end that was on occasion shaped as a ram's head (hence the name), whose sole purpose was to breach the fortifications of towns and castles.
In its simplest mode of operation, the battering ram was carried by several people who would run with the ram and thrust it at the target with as much force as they could muster. The key to success was speed, however, and later rams were wheeled Battering rams became increasingly sophisticated. One important example was the siege engine of the Assyrians of circa 1000 B.C.E. Their ram was suspended from a covered wooden frame so that it could be continuously swung at the target, while the frame
provided protection for the soldiers within. Wet hides or earth were used to defend against flaming arrows. Mounted on wheels, this ram was easily maneuvered.
Despite changes in warfare, battering rams still have their place today, attached to military vehicles. One person-operated metal rams are also used by today's law enforcement agencies.
SEE ALSO: BOW AND ARROW, FORT, WHEEL AND AXLE, CART,SPOKED-WHEEL CHARIOT
- Bell
The ancient Chinese were technologically and culturally advanced. Between 3950 and 1700 B.C.E., the people of the Yang-shao culture farmed pigs, grew wheat and millet, made highly specialized tools, and produced painted pottery. They also produced pottery instruments called lings, which became the first tuned bells. One of the earliest examples of these clay bells Is a small red ling uncovered at an excavation site in the Henan Province of central china.
Later, during the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, the Chinese made bells from metal and decorated them with intricate designs. Bells came to play an important part in culture by the fifth century B.C.E.,
when sets of bronze bells were used in ritual ceremonies for musical accompaniment. Large, clapperless bells known as zhong were sometimes struck with mallets. It is said that these represented the sound of the Autumn Equinox, when all the crops had been harvested-in Chinese, the word zhong means "bell” , but also "cultivated" when pronounced slightly differently.
During the Qin Dynasty, in the second century B.C.E., the bell became a symbol of power and authority following the installation of six large bells at the imperial court. In modern China, the bell has a different meaning: education and worship.
Today in the western world, the bell is used both functionally and symbolically. Bell chimes tell us of the time of day, but are also associated with the church and traditional celebrations such as Christmas
and weddings. Hand bells are still played by members of the church community and in schools as part of music education. There are even examples of bells being used in music therapy in retirement homes and hospitals.
SEE ALSO: METALWORKING, TOWER CLOCK