What Motivated Soldiers to Be the First to Climb the Siege Ladder?

Being the first on the wall in a siege often meant certain death. It involved battling through to the wall, climbing an exposed ladder or siege tower through a hail of projectiles, only to meet a superior force of defenders upon reaching the top. Nevertheless, brave men in antiquity and the Middle Ages repeatedly took on this daunting challenge. They even competed against each other for the privilege, because everyone wanted to scale the defenses and face the enemy first. In this video, we ask why the soldiers of ancient Rome were willing to face death to be the first on the wall.

Some must read mlitary history books:

Bibliography
Büttner, Anita, Untersuchungen über Ursprung und Entwicklung von Auszeichnungen im römischen Heer, in: BJ 157 (1957), pp. 127-180.
Maxfield, Valerie A., The Military Decorations of the Roman Army, Berkeley/Los Angeles 1981.

[jonnekallu]

"wall scaler"
1.8% of soldiers have this achievement

[cov.teo.]

They climbed up with the dream that one day a youtuber will make a video about them.

[fayelitzinger]

my grandpa survived D-day by being the "first man off the boat". as soon as those doors came down he was bolting for the relative safety of the cliffs. his theory being the gunners on shore would take a second to realize the charge had begun and by the time they took aim it would be at the row of soldiers just behind him, allowing him to scurry up the beach and survive. it worked, he met his wife back home, had my mom, and now I am here!

[googane]

The fact that Trebellius's family line went on to become tribunes, legats and consuls all because he was first on the wall just shows how it was undeniably worth the risk.

Edit: I don't care if you personally wouldn't want to risk your life but objectively this was the fastest way to go from the lower classes to the highest positions in Rome, elevate the social status of your family for generations to come and having your name be immortalized in history.

[clintmoor]

the first could say "first". ancient Rome was just like the comment section.

[ddenozor]

Those wall warfare pictures are so wholesome. Men living their best lives and enjoying it to the fullest, not a single cellphone in sight.

[Roastdawg]

Being the first soldier to scale the wall and LIVE is actually insane. Literally all eyes are on you. Archers, slingers, crossbowmen, spearmen ECT are all out to get YOU.

[gamerseven]

That is precisely the question I always wanted to know, even though I never asked myself even once.

[youtubewarrir]

Bro i have literally wondered about this question every time i see a medieval war movie and now you tube finally randomly recommends this video, this is why i love you tube so much

[joco]

"My great grandfather was first on the wall at New Carthage and for that reason, your bill sucks ass and will not be brought before the Senate"
-Consul Marcus Trebellius Maximus
Rome was so awesome

[joaquinandreu]

Army vs Marines rivalry goes back a long time.

When I was a small child (probably less then 10 year old) I jumped off of the bunk bed I shared with my older brother, shouting I'm "Ulubatli Hasan", and hurt my arm very badly :-) I think everyone in Turkey knows this guy's name because he was the first to climb the city walls of Constantinopolis when Mehmet II, ottoman sultan, sieged an conquered the city in 1453. Looks like he gained such fame that his name is still remembered five centuries later and inspired small kids to do stupid stunts. :-D This video immediately made me remember that memory.

[wonderboy]

That would be bad ass as an introduction, “Centurion Quintis Virtus, First on the Wall!”

[brosefmalkovitch]

These kinds of motivations definitely made a lot more sense in the era of birthrights. Your lineage determined your fate but anything that allowed you to circumvent those circumstances was literally priceless. Makes a lot of sense that men would chance their lives at something they could literally never obtain otherwise.

[martiefst]

As a native of Cartagena (the city depicted in this video) I wanted to add some additional facts you might find interesting. The city wasn’t called New Carthage, it was called Qart Hadasht by the Carthaginians. Once the Romans took over it was renamed Carthago Nova, which means New Carthage.

The Corona Muralis is a symbol of Cartagena to this day. It is in our city crest and football team. The battle told in this video is also remembered in the local Roman and Carthaginians festival.

[DrakTom]

Love the arbiters standing in between two units of clearly skilled units champing at the bit. Took the clearly safest way out, "Surely you BOTH were first, that sounds good to us."

[magimon]

I appreciate the variety of styles of soldiers used in the art. It emphasizes how this was something that happened for a very long time including many types of soldiers from many states and empires

[Kaydenkwokx]

One of life’s greatest mysteries has been answered. Thank you!

[RagafragaMuffin]

There’s a text-based game, a Legionary’s Life, where you play as a Roman soldier during this exact battle at New Carthage, plus some more of Scipio’s campaigns. Scaling the wall first is hard, but you get nice bonuses from it! If you impress your officers early on you even get to take part in the raid on the northern side, but only if you can quickly prove you’re a worthy soldier. Might have to try it again now

[creepton]

similar in ancient chinese warfare. first on the wall, capturing the flag, in a unit dedicated to break into enemy formation, killing the enemy general, are the 4 hardest and possibly the best achievement a soldier can fathom, the reward of achieving these are so great that can change a soldier's social class entirely. They are often rewarded with cash/gold, good land for farming, and higher military rank.