 The ancient Roman author Athenaeus Mechanicus, writing during the reign of Augustus (30 BC–14 AD), described the military use of a gimbal-like mechanism, calling it "little ape" ("pithêkion").When preparing to attack coastal towns from the sea-side, military engineers used to yoke merchant-ships together to take the siege machines up to the walls.But to prevent the shipborne machinery from rolling around the deck in heavy seas, Athenaeus advises that "you must fix the "pithêkion" on the platform attached to the merchant-ships in the middle, so that the machine stays upright in any angle".