﻿FAR 
  EASTERN 
  CIVILIZATIONS 
  — 
  BISHOP 
  

  

  499 
  

  

  In 
  general, 
  siegecraft 
  was 
  well 
  understood, 
  and 
  cities 
  were 
  taken 
  

   in 
  various 
  ways 
  — 
  by 
  surprise 
  attacks, 
  storm, 
  or 
  building 
  around 
  

   them 
  walls 
  of 
  circumvallation 
  and 
  starving 
  them 
  out. 
  Or 
  their 
  ram- 
  

  

  Figuue 
  17. 
  — 
  Chinese 
  bronze 
  swords. 
  

  

  parts, 
  of 
  rammed 
  earth, 
  might 
  be 
  breached 
  by 
  diverting 
  rivers 
  

   against 
  them, 
  or 
  by 
  tunneling 
  under 
  them 
  and 
  then 
  setting 
  on 
  fire 
  

   the 
  timber 
  props 
  supporting 
  the 
  roof 
  of 
  the 
  mine 
  and 
  thus 
  causing 
  

   its 
  collapse. 
  The 
  latter 
  method 
  was 
  also 
  employed 
  in 
  the 
  Occident, 
  

   where 
  it 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  appeared 
  rather 
  earlier. 
  

  

  