In ancient warfare open battles were the preferred mode of meeting the enemy, but sometimes, when defenders took a stand within their well-fortified city or military camp, siege warfare became a necessity, despite its high expense in money, time, and men. The Romans became adept at the art of siege warfare employing all manner of strategies and machinery to batter the enemy into submission. Five factors enabled the Romans to be remarkably successful at sieges: sophisticated artillery weapons, formidable siege towers, the engineering experience of fortification construction, superior logistics to ensure long-term supply, and mastery of the seas. Thorough preparation and the careful execution of well-laid plans were second nature to the Romans in warfare, and so when they applied these skills to sieges lasting months or years, they were virtually unstoppable.
More about: Roman Siege WarfareDefinition
Timeline
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262 BCERome besieges and sacks Agrigento on Sicily in one of the first actions of the First Punic War.
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212 BCEA Carthaginian army is defeated in Sicily by a Roman army led by Marcellus. Syracuse falls to Rome who now control the island.
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204 BCE - 203 BCEScipio Africanus wins two battles and besieges Utica in North Africa.
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149 BCERome sends an army of 80,000 infantry and 4,000 cavalry to attack Carthage.
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148 BCEThe Roman siege of Carthage, in its second year, remains unsuccessful.
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146 BCEScipio Africanus the Younger sacks Carthage and enslaves its population.
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86 BCEThe Roman general Sulla sacks Athens and the port of Piraeus.
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52 BCEAfter becoming trapped and besieged at Alesia, Vercingetorix surrenders to Caesar.
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51 BCECaesar's siege and capture of Uxellodunum ends the Gallic War.
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49 BCEJulius Caesar besieges Massilia.
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43 CEMaiden Castle, a Celtic hilltop fort in southern Britain, is captured by Roman legions.
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70 CEThe city of Jerusalem is besieged and captured by Rome; the Second Temple destroyed.
