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siege

thumb|upright=1.35|Depiction of 70 AD Siege of Jerusalem (70 CE)|siege of Jerusalem by [[Francesco Hayez, 1867]]

AI overview

A siege is a military operation where an attacking force surrounds and cuts off a city or fortress to force it to surrender. The example shown depicts the Roman siege of Jerusalem in 70 CE, a historically significant event in which Roman forces besieged the city for months until it fell.

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Commons category: Sieges
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~59 min read

Article

29 sections

Contents

Ancient period
The necessity of city walls
Archaeological evidence
Depictions
Tactics
Offensive
Defensive
Siege accounts
Classical antiquity
Medieval period
Mongols and Chinese
Age of gunpowder
Emerging theories
New fortresses
Marshal Vauban and Van Coehoorn
Siege warfare
Strategic concepts
Industrial advances
Modern warfare
World War I
World War II
Airbridge
Post-World War II
Police sieges
See also
Notes
References
Further reading
External links

thumb|upright=1.35|Depiction of 70 AD Siege of Jerusalem (70 CE)|siege of Jerusalem by [[Francesco Hayez, 1867]]

A siege () is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare (also called siegecraft or poliorcetics) is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static, defensive position. This party is called a garrison. The attacking party is said to be laying siege and those on the defense are under siege. Consequently, an opportunity for negotiation between combatants is common, as proximity and fluctuating advantage can encourage diplomacy.