We’re cruising the Greek Isles. We’ve made stops at Santorini and Mykonos so far. Now we’re on our way to Rhodes. Due to its strategic location between East and West, Rhodes has been a sought-after prize throughout its history. To consider one spectacular example, let’s go back to when Demetrius the Besieger carried out the Siege of Rhodes.
The year was 305 BC. A Macedonian named Demetrius – commonly known as Demetrius the Besieger – had amassed a powerful army that was sweeping through the region. The island of Rhodes was in his path.
And as noted last time, Demetrius had a score to settle with the Rhodians, so taking Rhodes had extra meaning for him. He wanted to teach the Rhodians a lesson.
Demetrius
Demetrius was practically raised on the battlefield. His father, Antigonus the One-eyed, was famous for winning numerous battles. As the son of Antigonus, Demetrius had to prove himself worthy.
Excuse me for a second, but did they have great names back in the day, or what? Demetrius the Besieger. Antigonus the One-eyed. And in more recent times, there was Philip the Bold or Vlad the Impaler. I wonder what names we might have today, if the lost art of naming had not faded into the mists of time?
As a young commander, Demetrius got off to a rocky start. His soldiers suffered defeats early on. But by the time he reached Rhodes, Demetrius had won numerous battles and had amassed a sizable army.
The Rhodians had established strong defenses, including enormous reinforced city walls. The conquest of Rhodes would take time. Demetrius and his army landed, surrounded the city, and began building all manner of contraptions to get over, under, or through the walls. The siege of Rhodes had begun.
The Siege of Rhodes
To get through the massive walls surrounding the city, Demetrius built a huge battering ram. It was 180 feet long and it took 1,000 men to operate it. That battering ram was impressive, but not impressive enough. It failed to break through Rhodes’ thick walls.
But Demetrius was no quitter. When the battering ram failed, he built giant drills to bore through the walls. Enclosures built around the drills protected drill operators while they did their work.
Demetrius was just getting started. While the battering ram rammed and the drills drilled, Demetrius’ men were busy constructing a gigantic siege tower. It would be the largest siege tower ever made.
Demetrius’ siege tower was a 9-story building on 12-foot diameter wheels. The lower floors housed two catapults capable of heaving 180-lb stones. Four smaller catapults would fire from the upper floors.
Two staircases inside allowed men to quickly run up and down. Iron plates covered three sides of the tower to protect against fire. Openings for catapults were covered with fire-proof, seaweed-filled hides.
Can you imagine? Demetrius’ men worked like ants day and night, ramming, drilling, heaving stones, and who knows what else. One thing is certain – when you’re being besieged by Demetrius the Besieger, you know you’re being besieged!
The plan was to move the giant siege tower next to the city wall, where they’d weaken enemy defenses and ultimately make a breach. Once inside, they’d open the gates. Then it would be curtains for the Rhodians.
The Rhodians Had a Plan, Too
But the Rhodians had gotten wind of the plan, including the timing. So the night before the tower was to be moved, they opened a hole in the wall and flooded the area with water and sewage.
Sure enough, the next day Demetrius’ men rolled the giant tower up toward the wall as far as they could. But to the Rhodians’ relief, the siege tower got mired in the soggy ground. And there it stayed, stuck in the muck under its own weight.
The siege had lasted a year, but when his gigantic siege tower got cemented into the muck, Demetrius had to give it up. Dang. Sometimes that’s how it goes in the old besieging business, eh?
Still Waiting
Imagine the Rhodians’ immense delight in seeing Demetrius and his army sail away in defeat. They probably stood on the city walls thumbing their noses en masse at poor Demetrius.
Rumor has it that a coin was minted to commemorate the great occasion. It seems reasonable enough. But alas, no such coin has been found – yet. So for now, we can only imagine how it might have looked.
OK. That rumor is probably without merit. But what the Rhodians really did create with the remains of the siege was truly amazing.
To be continued…
