line one or more "mounts" or "banks" (tnbsO. Saal- schiitz [Ai-chdol. ii, 504] understands this term of the scaling-ladder, comparing the cognate Milium [Gen. xxviii, 12], and giving the verb Khaphuh, which accom- panies solelah, the sense of a " hurried advancing" of the ladder) in the direction of the cily (2 Sam. xx, 15; 2 Kings xix, 32; Isa. xxxvii, 33), which was gradually increased in height until it was about half as high as the city wall. On this mound or bank towers (p"'^. Some doubt exists as to the meaning of this term. Tlie sense of " turrets" assigned to it by Ciesenius [ Thesaiir. p. 330] has been objected to on the groinid that the word always appears in the singular number, and in connec- tion with the expression " round about" the city. Hence the sense of "circumvallation" has been assigned to it by Michaelis, Kcil [J rchdol. ii, 303], and others. It is difficult, however, in this case, to see any distinction between the terms dayek and niatszor. The expression " round about" may refer to the custom of casting up banks at different points: the use of the singular in a collective sense forms a greater difficulty) were erected (2 Kings XXV, 1; Jer. Hi, 4; Ezek. iv, 2; xvii, 17; xxi, 22; xxvi, 8), whence the sliugers and archers might attack with effect. Battering-rams (C^"i3, Ezek. iv, 2 ; xxi, 22) were brought up to the walls by means of the bank, and scaling-ladders might also be placed on it. Undermining the walls, though practiced by the Assyr- ians (Layard, Nineveh, ii, 371), is not noticed in the Bi- ble : the reference to it in the Sept. and Vulg., in Jer. Ii, 58, is not warranted by the original text. Sometimes, however, the walls were attacked near the foinidation, either by individual warriors who protected themselves from above by their shields (Ezek. xxvi, 8), or by the further use of such a machine as the helepoUs, referred to in 1 Mace, xiii, 43. This is described by Ammianus Marcellinus (xxiii, 4, 10) as a comliination of the testudo and the battering-ram, by means of which the besiegers broke through the lower part of the wall, and thus "leaped into the city;" not from above, as the words prima facie imply, but from below. Burning the gates was another mode of obtaining ingress (Judg. ix, 52). The water-supply would naturally be cut off, if it were possible (Judith vii, 7). The besieged, meanwhile, strengthened and repaired their fortifications (Isa. xxii, 10), and repelled the enemy from the wall by missiles (2 Sam. xi, 24), by throwing over beams and heavy stones (Judg. ix, 53; 2 Sam. xi, 21 ; Josephus, Wtn: v, 3, 3; 6, 3), by pouring down boiling oil (ibid, iii, 7, 28), or, lastly, by erecting fixed engines for the propul- sion of stones and arrows (2 Chron. xxvi, 15). See En- gink. Sallies were also made for the purpose of burn- ing the besiegers' works (1 Mace, vi, 31 ; War, v, 11,4), and driving them away from the neighborhood. The foregoing operations receive a large amount of illustra- tion from the representations of such scenes on the As- syrian slabs. We there see the " bank" thrown up in the form of an inclined plane, with the battering-ram hauled up on it assaulting the walls; movable tow- ers of considerable elevation brought up, whence the warriors discharge their arrows into the city; the walls undermined, or attempts made to destroy them by pick- ing to pieces the lower courses; the defenders actively engaged in archery, and averting the force of the bat- tering-ram by chains and ropes; the scaling-ladders at length brought, and the conflict become hand-to-hand (Layard, iXineveh, ii, 366-374). See Battehing-ram; Levkr.
The treatment of the conquered was extremely severe in ancient times. The leaders of the host were put to death (.)osh. x, 26; Judg. vii, 25), with the occasional indignity of decapitation after death (1 Sam. xvii, 51 ; 2 Macc.xv, 30; Josephus, War, i, 17, 2). The bodies of the soldiers killed in action were plundered (1 Sam. xxxi, 8; 2 Mace, viii, 27); the survivors were either killed in some .savage manner (Judg. ix, 45; 2 Sam. xii, 31 ; 2 Chron, xxv, 12), mutilated (Judg. i, 6 ; 1 Sam. xi,
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2), or carried into captivity (Numb, xxxi, 26 ; Deut. xx, 14). Women and cliildrcn were occasionally put to death with the greatest barbarity (2 Kings viii, 12 ; xv, 16; Isa. xiii, 16, 18; Hos. x, 14; xiii, 16; Amos i, 13; Nah. iii, 10 ; 2 Mace, v, 13) ; but it was more usual to retain the maidens as concubines or servants (Judg. v, 30 ; 2 Kings v, 2). Sometimes the bulk of the popula- tion of the conquered country was removed to a distant liieality, as in the case of the Israelites when subdued by the Assyrians (xvii, 6), and of the .lews by the Baby- lonians (xxiv, 14; XXV, 11). In addition to these meas- ures, the towns were destroyed (Judg. ix, 45; 2 Kings iii, 25; 1 Mace, v, 28, 51; x, 84), the idols and shrines were carried off (Isa. xlvi, 1, 2), or destroyed (1 Mace, v, 68 ; x, 84) ; the fruit-trees were cut down, and the fields spoiled bj' overspreading them with stones (2 Kings iii, 19, 25); and the horses were lamed (2 Sam. viii, 4; Josh, xi, 6, 9). If the war was carried on simply for the purpose of plunder or supremacy', these extreme measures would hardly be carried into execution ; the conqueror would restrict himself to rifling the treasuries (1 Kings xiv, 26; 2 Kings xiv, 14; xxiv, 13), or levy- ing contributions (xviii, 14). See Captive.