The beginning of the use of the siege towers dates back to the antiquity. In the medieval Poland, they were used during sieges of various walled cities and castles. They were the complicated in the terms of construction siege engines, therefore they were used when other measures were proved ineffective. However the efforts put into building a siege tower usually resulted in a success. When defenders saw the approaching machine they frequently gave in to panic and surrendered the fortress without further resistance. A siege tower was composed of fighting platforms, on which the hidden attackers were waiting for a gangplank to be dropped between them and the top of the wall or rampart. Shooters located on the highest storey watched over their safety.

Chronology: from the antiquity to the 17th century.