The Praetorium stood on a hill, not a hill of rock but earth, and the wall of the city ran over it. Opposite this hill Bohemund’s men began to dig in a definite direction. For the besiegers had devised this new mischief against the city and invented a new knavish siege-engine to apply to the town. For as they dug, they went along under the ground like moles boring holes in the soil and in places protecting themselves by sheds with high roofs against the stones and arrows which were thrown from above, and in others propping up the earth above them with poles, and thus they went in a straight line. So they made a very long and broad tunnel and always carried away the earth from their diggings in wagons. When they had bored through sufficiently far, they rejoiced as if they had accomplished a great task. But the men in the city were not negligent for at some distance from the other city dug out earth and made a good-sized tunnel and then posted themselves along its whole strength to watch for the spot where the besieging party would break through from their tunnel to ours. And soon they found it, for they heard them knocking and digging and undermining the base of the walls. . . . Then they opened up a little hole opposite and when they saw the quantity of workers by means of this peep-hole, they burnt their faces to ashes with fire. Now this fire is prepared in the following ingredients. The readily combustible rosin is collected from the pine and other similar evergreen trees and mixed with sulpher. Then it is introduced into reed-pipes and blown by the man using it with a strong continuous breath and at the other end fire is applied to it and bursts into flame and falls like a streak of lightening on the faces of the men opposite. This fire the men of Dyrrachium used directly [as soon as] they were face to face with the enemy, and burnt their beards and faces. And the enemy could be seen, like a swarm of bees which had been smoked out, rushing out in disorder from the place they had entered in good order.
Bohemund’s men also built a wooden tower.
The tower was certainly terrible to look at, and when moving it seemed more terrible. For its base was raised on a number of wheels, and, as it was levered along with crowbars by the soldiers inside, it caused amazement, as the source of its motion was invisible and it seemed to be moving of its own accord like some towering giant. It was completely covered in from top to base and divided into several floors, and all around were openings in the shape of loop-holes through which arrows were shot. On the top floor stood high-spirited men, fully armed, with swords in their hands ready to stand on defence. When this terrific object drew near the wall, the men under Alexius, the military governor of the city of Dyrrachium, lost no time, but whilst Bohemund was building this machine outside the walls, to be an infallible captor of the city, they built a counter one inside. For seeing to what a height that self-moving tower reached and where they had planted it after taking off the wheels, they fixed opposite the tower four very long beams which stood up like scaffolding from a square base. Then they introduced some flooring between these upright beams and thus made an erection which exceeded the wooden tower outside by one cubit. And the structure was left open all round for it did not require any protection except at the top where it was roofed over. Next Alexius’ soldiers carried up the liquid fire to the top story of the open structure with intent to shoot it against the wooden tower opposite. But this idea and its execution did not seem sufficient for the complete destruction of the machine. For the fire when directed against it would only catch the extreme top of the tower. So what did they devise? They filled the space between the wooden tower and the city tower with all kinds of flammable material and poured streams of oil upon it. To this they applied fire, namely torches and fire-brands, which smoldered for a short time, then flared up a little and finally burst into tall flames. As the fiery streaks of the liquid fire also contributed their share, that whole terrific construction all made of wood caught fire, and made an immense noise and was a terrible sight for the eyes. And that enormous fire was seen for thirteen stades round. The tumult and confu-
Sion of the barbarians inside was tremendous and hopeless, for some were caught by the fire and burnt to ashes, and others threw themselves to the ground from the top. And there was also much shouting and wild confusion among the barbarians outside who re-echoed their cries.
Source: Anna Comnena. The Alexiad. Bk. XIII, pp. 330-31.
The Siege of Jerusalem
On Monday the crusaders made a vigorous assault on the city, and it was believed they would have taken it if they had been sufficiently supplied with scaling ladders. They made a breach of the outer wall, and raised one ladder against the inner one. The Christian knights mounted it by turns and fought with the Saracens on the battlements hand to hand with swords and lances. In these assaults many fell on both sides, but most on the side of the Gentiles. [Another account tells us that the crusaders had only one ladder. The first man to climb it reached the top, and as he grasped the battlement the defenders chopped his hand off and he fell back to his companions. He survived and was rewarded with a piece of the True Cross, which he took back home to France.] The trumpets sounding the recall, the Christians at length withdrew from the combat, and returned to their camps. Meanwhile, the provisions they brought with them began to fail, nor could bread be purchased for money, nor was any one able to succeed in foraging. The country round is entirely without water, and is moreover arid and rocky, affording no pasture for the subsistence of beasts of burden or other animals. It is also naked of trees and therefore produces but little fruit; bearing only olive and palm, with a few vines.
Source: Ordericus Vitalis. The Ecclesiastical History of England and Normandy. Bk. IX, Ch. XV, p. 171.
World History
