Ancient Siege Engines
The treatises contained in Thevenot were finally re-edited, and published
by C. Wescher, Paris, 1869.
VALTURIUS, ROBERTUS : Military author. Living at the end of the fifteenth
century. His book ' De Re Militari' first printed at Verona, 1472.
VEGETIUS, FLAVIUS RENATUS : Roman military writer. Flourished in the
time of the Emperor Valentinian II., 375-392. The best edition is that
of Schwebel, 1767.
ViOLLET-LE-Duc: French military historian. Published his ' Dictionnaire
raisonne de 1'Architecture,' 1861.
VITRUVIUS POLLIO : Architect and military engineer, and inspector of
military engines under the Emperor Augustus. Born between B.C. 85 and 75.
Author of The Ten
Books of Architecture. His tenth book treats of siege engines. Translated
into French with commentary by Perrault, 1673. The most interesting editions
of Vitruvius are those containing the commentary on siege engines by Philander.
The best of these is dated 1649.
Fig. 182. - A Fortified Town being Bombarded by a
Catapult.
Criticism. The stone throw by the besieged may be seen
falling in the trenches of the besiegers. The catapult depicted is drawn
on much too small a scale.
Among the older authors quoted, Polybius, Ramelli, Valturius, Vegetius
and Vitruvius give illustrations of siege engines, those of Polybius, as
supplied by his commentator de Folard, being the most numerous. |