Which countermeasure during Roman sieges reduced the damage caused by torsion catapults using bundled sinew springs?

💡 Explanation

When torsion catapults were used, kinetic energy was released via rapidly unwinding twisted sinew bundles, which introduced high impact stress; dampening city walls with goat hair absorbs energy due to viscoelastic properties, delaying cracking and failure. Therefore, dampening reduces impact rather than dousing or targeting the catapult, which addresses different vulnerabilities.

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