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Full Version: Siege causeways
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When did the first military causeways appear in history? The oldest reference I found yet is the siege of Motya in 397 BC, the next one the famous one of Tyre in 332 BC. Any older ones?
The Nimrud reliefs depicting the siege of Lachish show something that looks a lot like earth ramps being used. IIRC they're mid-7th century BC.
Quote:The Nimrud reliefs depicting the siege of Lachish show something that looks a lot like earth ramps being used. IIRC they're mid-7th century BC.

These structures are also called "siege causeways"? I had in mind artificial dams which were constructed to reach cities lying on islands. AFAIK, the Assyrians, unlike Alexander, did not build any causeways to cross the waters during their sieges of Tyre.
Quote:The oldest reference I found yet is the siege of Motya in 397 BC, the next one the famous one of Tyre in 332 BC.
Of course, there was already a causeway at Motya, which the inhabitants attempted to sabotage. All Dionysius did was to repair it. And at Tyre, they now reckon that the water was fairly shallow for Alexander's "mole".