Riot police and a blockade of military cars, mini-vans and buses greeted the rioters in Kiev, Jan. 22. A loudspeaker blared, "Dear citizens, your actions are illegal and are against the state." REUTERS/Maks Levin

Things got pretty hairy in Kiev, Ukraine, in the last week due in large part to the government banning protests.

As a result, riot police broke out their Roman army tactics.

This formation is called the "Testudo," or tortoise in Latin.

The tactic springs from ancient Greek warfare which relied on the Phalanx formation to slowly chew up the enemy.

Romans later adopted and modified the phalanx, which remained relevant for about 2000 years.

In the case of riot police, it's more about area denial and protecting police officers than killing an enemy.

Protesters, on the other hand, have actually gone so far as to build a a trebuchet.

(Small as it may be.)

The weapon appeared during the Middle Ages and is the precursor to long-range artillery. It uses a counterweight to sling much heavier objects much longer distances than a traditional catapult or, perhaps more importantly, than what a human could throw.

Pro-European integration protesters build a catapult to throw stones during clashes with police in Kiev January 20, 2014. Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich named a top aide to organize peace talks with the opposition after violent clashes between police and protesters in Kiev, but the opposition warned him on Monday not to play for time. REUTERS

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