Eight sieges
Six centuries of the same contest, told through eight places. Each is modelled as a plan-relief: the ground, the walls and the attackers' lines, not to exact survey but as a model maker would set them out.
Antioch
A crusader army starved before walls too long to storm, until one tower commander opened the way in at night.
Château Gaillard
Richard the Lionheart's state-of-the-art castle, built in two years, fell ward by ward to a patient French king.
Rochester Castle
King John used five stone-throwers and a mine fired with pig fat to bring down a corner of England's tallest keep.
Kenilworth
One of the longest sieges in medieval English history, fought against a castle protected by an artificial lake.
Stirling Castle
Edward I brought a dozen engines against the last Scottish stronghold, and refused to accept surrender until his giant 'Warwolf' had fired.
Constantinople
Giant Ottoman cannon battered the thousand-year-old land walls of Constantinople until a final assault broke through.
Great Malta
A few thousand defenders held small forts around a harbour against a vast Ottoman expedition for nearly four months.
Vienna
Ottoman miners blew breach after breach in Vienna's bastions until a relief army swept down the hills to break the siege.