obsidional

[lirotem]

what is the method of cnducting a siege known as obsidional?

[Quizmonkey]

If you mean 'why' it's from the Latin obsidere = to besiege.

[Octavius]

Obsidional can mean obsessive/compulsive and stems as Qm says above, from the Latin obsidionalis, from obsidio a siege, obsidere to besiege: Of or pertaining to a siege.

In addition, an Obsidional crown, was a crown bestowed upon a general who raised the siege of a beleaguered place, or upon one who held out against a siege.

[lirotem]

i dont question the answears. i need an answear for my qwastion.

[Tatty Rollox]

..... and here is an obsidional .................

[jno]

looks like any siege is obsidional; it doesn't seem (after much googling) to relate to any particular way of conducting it. If it has any other meaning, octavius will think of it.

[Octavius]

The only unique type of siege that I can think of (other than obsessively bombarding the ramparts with infantry on ladders, major weaponry or battering rams which is typical throughout history) is the technique used by the Romans at Masada in Israel in about 70 AD (I believe). In that siege, the Romans constructed a massive ramp to the top of the fortress so that all the infantry could breach in one go. Only to find that the Zealots had already topped themselves. Anyway, I can find no reference to suggest that this was an obsidional siege, or any other specific type of siege.

[Octavius]

Perhaps the type of siege you are referring is whereby the fortifications are blockaded and the people inside are just left without supplies until they surrender. Particularly, the the sitting down of an army or military force before a fortified place for the purpose of taking it, either by direct military operations or by starving it into submission.

[MustafaTinkl]

Isn't that exactly what Tatty Rollox earlier so well depicted above?

[Octavius]

dunno, didn't look

[jno]

I can really only think of two sorts of siege: you sit around waiting for them to starve, or you attack the place to speed the process up. But you might starve yourself as well unless you're camped in wheatfields and apple orchards; so in practice I suspect most sieges were a bit of both.

But I still don't know if either of them is obsidional, sorry...

[Octavius]

I think it must be the one where all the troops sit around and wait for the defenders to starve or give in. Hardly worthy of a special crown though, is it?