Siege Engine mercenaries

[eadingas]

I was wondering if it's possible to add siege engines as mercenary units for regions famed for their siege equipment production - Syracuse, Rome, Greece, etc? They would have to be very expensive and very rare, but still available for anyone.
What this would reflect, in my mind, is the ability to hire siege engineers from more advanced nations by anyone with a full pocket. Iventors and engineers were pretty much mercenaries themselves, and I'm sure if history had it that Gauls or Germans had conquered Rome, they would eventually hire these engineers to work for their armies.
Or are we planning to do something else with siege engines and 'barbarians'?

[Ranika]

I don't know if I agree or disagree with this, but I do think, firstly some of the siege engines (onagers) should be removed. They were a later invention. With those removed, factions without such engines won't be at such a huge disadvantage when it comes to siegecraft. The removal of the anachronistic onager would once again open up some unit space, as there are many versions of it to remove, which means a lot of space to free up.

[The_Emperor]

So was the Ornager an Imperial period invention? I didn't know how extensive their use was during this republican period.

I know the Romans never used the Ornager in their conquest of Britain, and that the Scorpion and ballista was widely used. (in one site a sekelton was found with a Ballista head embedded in its spine)

[Ranika]

Actually... I've heard recently that the onager was invented around 50 BC. But, other things I've seen say it was in the early 1st Century AD.

[The_Emperor]

So the Romans conquered most of their empire without the use of such major Artillery pieces?

Thats very interesting.

[Ranika]

Not saying that, necessarily, but, based on what I've found, yes, but I'm not a Roman historian. I'm more focused on the Celts, particularly the Gauls, Britons, and early Gaels in this period, and the vast majority of my study is on Dark Ages Ireland and Celtic Britain. My ascertations about Roman siegecraft are based on what sources I can find online, but I've seen a number of conflicting dates on the subject. I'm hoping some one here might be able to clarify the actual date of the onagers invention. Based on the dates I've found, it'd be between 50 BC to the early 1st Century AD.