A-dictionary-of-greek-and-roman-antiquities-william-smith

TURRIS. TURRIS.
1175
to the moveable towers (turres mobiles, Liv. xxi.
11), we have particular descriptions of them by
Vitruvius (x. 19. s. 13), and Vegetius (iv. 17).
They were generally made of beams and planks,
and covered, at least on the three sides which were
exposed to the besieged, with iron, not only for
rrgia of Jugurtha ( Salhist Jug. 103), the tower of
a private citizen without the walls of Carthage, by
the help of which Scipio took the city (Appian.
Pun. 117) ; and, in Spain, the tower in which
Cn. Scipio was burnt. (Appian. IJisp. 16.) Such
towers were common in the frontier provinces of
the Roman empire. (Ammian. Marcell. xxviii. 2.)
2. They were erected within cities, partly to
form a last retreat in case the city should be taken,
and partly to overawe the inhabitants. In almost
all Greek cities, which were usually built upon hill, rock, or some natural elevation, there was a
kind of tower, a castle, or a citadel, built upon the
highest part of the rock or hill, to which the name
of Acropolis was given, as at Athens, Corinth,
Argos, Messene, and many other places. The
Capitolium at Rome answered the same purpose
as the Acropolis in the Greek cities ; and of the
same kind were the tower of Agathocles at Utica
(Appian. Pun. 14), and that of Antonia at Jeru
salem. (Joseph. Bell. Jud. v. 5. § 8, Act. Aposiol.
xxi. 31.)
3. The fortifications both of cities and camps
were strengthened by towers, which Were placed
at intervals on the murus of the former [Murus]
and the vallum of the latter ; and a similar use
was made of them in the lines (circumvallatio)
drawn round a besieged town. [Vallum. J They
were generally used at the gates of towns and of
stative camps. [Porta.] The use of temporary
towers on walls to repel an attack will be noticed
below.
If. Moveable Towers. These were among the
most important engines used in storming a fortified
place. They were of two kinds. Some were
made so that they could be taken to pieces and
carried to the scene of operations: these were
called folding towets (irvpyot tttvktoi orinrvyp.evoi,
turres plicatilcs, or portable towers,