|
The ballista (Latin, from Greek ballistēs, from ballein 'to throw', plural ballistae) was a powerful ancient crossbow, although employing several loops of twisted skeins to power it, it used torsion (instead of a prod). Early versions ejected heavy darts or spherical stone projectiles of various sizes. It developed into a smaller sniper weapon, the Scorpio,[1] and possibly the polybolos. The branches of the Roman military at the highest level were the Roman army and the Roman navy. ...
The Roman army was a set of land-based military forces employed by the Roman Kingdom, Roman Republic and later Roman Empire as part of the Roman military. ...
This is a list of both unit types and ranks of the Roman army from the Roman Republic to the fall of the Roman Empire. ...
This is a list of Roman legions, including key facts about each legion. ...
Auxiliaries (from Latin: auxilia = supports) formed the standing non-citizen corps of the Roman army of the Principate (30 BC - 284 AD), alongside the citizen legions. ...
// Manius Acilius Glabrio -- Manius Acilius Glabrio (consul 191 BC) -- Manius Acilius Glabrio (consul 91) -- Titus Aebutius Helva -- Aegidius -- Lucius Aemilius Barbula -- Marcus Aemilius Lepidus (triumvir) -- Lucius Aemilius Paulus Macedonicus -- Marcus Aemilius Scaurus (praetor 56 BC) -- Flavius Aëtius -- Lucius Afranius (consul) -- Sextus Calpurnius Agricola -- Gnaeus Julius Agricola -- Flavius Antoninus -- Marcus...
Roman trireme, a warship, 31 BC. Note the bank of oars (two on the hidden side), the square-rigged sails, the steering oars, the tower on deck, the ram at the prow, the ballistae and the Greek fire. ...
Roman trireme, a warship, 31 BC. Note the bank of oars (two on the hidden side), the square-rigged sails, the steering oars, the tower on deck, the ram at the prow, the ballistae and the Greek fire. ...
The history of ancient Rome - originally a city-state of Italy, and later an empire covering much of Eurasia and North Africa from the ninth century BC to the fifth century AD - was often closely entwined with its military history. ...
The following is a List of Roman wars fought by the ancient Roman Kingdom, Roman Republic and Roman Empire, organized by date. ...
The following is a List of Roman battles (fought by the Roman Kingdom, the Roman Republic, and the Roman Empire), organized by date. ...
As with most other military forces the Roman military adopted a carrot and stick approach to military, with an extensive list of decorations for military gallantry and likewise a range of punishments for the punishment of military transgressions. ...
The technology history of the Roman military covers the development of and application of technologies for use in the armies and navies of Rome from the Roman Republic to the fall of the Western Roman Empire. ...
Roman military engineering is a type of Roman engineering carried out by the Roman Army - almost exclusively by the Roman legions for the furthering of military objectives. ...
Basic ideal plan of a Roman castrum. ...
Roman siege engines were, for the most part, adapted from Hellenistic siege technology. ...
List of ancient Roman triumphal arches (By modern country) // France Orange Reims: Porte de Mars Saint Rémy de Provence: Roman site of Glanum Saintes: Arch of Germanicus Greece Arch of Galerius, Thessaloniki Hadrians Arch, Athens Italy It has been suggested that List of Roman arches in Rome be...
Not to be confused with Romans road. ...
Roman military personal equipment was produced in large numbers to established patterns and used in an established way. ...
Root directory at Military history of ancient Rome Romes military was always tightly keyed to its political system. ...
The strategy of the Roman Military encompasses its grand strategy (the arrangements made by the state to implement its political goals through a selection of military goals, a process of diplomacy backed by threat of military action, and a dedication to the military of part of its production and resources...
Roman infantry tactics refers to the theoretical and historical deployment, formation and maneuvers of the Roman infantry from the start of the Roman Republic to the fall of the Western Roman Empire. ...
Map of all the territories once occupied by the Roman Empire, along with locations of limes Roman military borders and fortifications were part of a grand strategy of territorial defense in the Roman Empire. ...
The limes Germanicus, 2nd century. ...
// Hadrians Wall is a stone and turf fortification built by the Roman Empire across the width of modern-day England. ...
For other uses, see Latin (disambiguation). ...
This article is about the weapon. ...
Look up Skein in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...
// Mathmatics In mathematics, the term torsion has several meanings, mostly unrelated to each other. ...
Darts are missile weapons, designed to fly such that a sharp, often weighted point will strike first. ...
A projectile is any object sent through space by the application of a force. ...
For other uses, see Sniper (disambiguation). ...
Scorpio (Dart-thrower) was a Roman artillery invention in 50 BC and described by Vitruvius with the next major improvement being the Cheiroballista. ...
The polybolos was a repeating ballista invented by Dionysius of Alexandria used in antiquity, capable of firing multiple rounds without reloading like a modern machine gun. ...
The Greek Weapon
The early ballistae in Ancient Greece were developed from two weapons known as oxybeles and gastraphetes. The gastraphetes ('belly-bow') was a hand held crossbow. It had a composite prod and was spanned with both hands, with a ratchet preventing it from shooting while loading. The power available was not sufficient to be used successfully against hoplites and phalangites. Bigger and heavier constructions, the oxybeles employed a winch and were mounted on a tripod. They had a lower rate of fire and were used as siege engines. The term ancient Greece refers to the period of Greek history in Classical Antiquity, lasting ca. ...
The Oxybeles (Οξυβόλος, literally bolt shooter) Category: ...
The gastraphetes (Greek γαστÏαφÎτης, lit. ...
The hoplite was a heavy infantryman that was the central focus of warfare in Ancient Greece. ...
Phalangite is the name for a phalanx of sarrissa-armed infantry in ancient Macedon. ...
With the invention of torsion spring bundle technology, the first pen island was built. The advantage of this new technology was the fast relaxation time of this system. Thus it was possible to shoot lighter projectiles with higher velocities over a longer distance. For an oxybele, the rules of a crossbow demanded that the more energy could be stored, the thicker the prod had to be and the heavier the projectile, otherwise it would only fly with a share of the stored energy. The earliest form of the ballista is thought to have been developed for Dionysus of Syracuse, circa 400 BC. // Mathmatics In mathematics, the term torsion has several meanings, mostly unrelated to each other. ...
This article is about the weapon. ...
Dionysius I or Dionysius the Elder (ca. ...
The Greek ballistae are primarily thought to have been a siege weapon. All components that were not made of wood were transported in the baggage train. It would be assembled with local wood, if necessary. Some were positioned inside large, armored, mobile siege towers or even on the edge of a battlefield. For all the tactical advantages offered, it was only under Philip II of Macedon and even more so under his son Alexander, that the ballista began to develop and gain recognition as siege engine and field artillery. Polybius reports about the usage of smaller more portable ballistae, called scorpions, during the Second Punic War. A siege engine is a device that is designed to break or circumvent city walls and other fortifications in siege warfare. ...
19th century French drawing of a medieval belfry. ...
Philip II of Macedon: victory medal (niketerion) struck in Tarsus, 2nd c. ...
For the film of the same name, see Alexander the Great (1956 film). ...
Polybius (c. ...
Combatants Roman Republic Carthage Commanders Publius Cornelius Scipio†, Tiberius Sempronius Longus Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus, Gaius Flaminius†, Fabius Maximus, Claudius Marcellus†, Lucius Aemilius Paullus†, Gaius Terentius Varro, Marcus Livius Salinator, Gaius Claudius Nero, Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Calvus†, Masinissa, Minucius†, Servilius Geminus†Hannibal Barca, Hasdrubal Barca†, Mago Barca†, Hasdrubal Gisco†, Syphax...
Since these weapons were highly accurate and powerful it was possible to wear down defensive fortifications. A less accurate weapon like a big onager could hit with more force. But it was unlikely to hit the same spot twice from a distance or had to be operated in close range, constantly endangered by enemy excursions. Ballistae could hurl both stone and arrow projectiles, markedly improving the amount and kind of damage the weapon could cause. Their counterpart in ancient China were multiple-prod-crossbows with less range and heavier projectiles. Sketch of an Onager, from Antique technology by Diels. ...
This article is about the weapon. ...
The stone projectiles themselves varied in size, and could cause immense damage to city walls in their way, while the arrows (bolts) could kill several men at once. Used together, as Alexander did at the Siege of Tyre, in 332 BC, they were capable of causing destruction unlike anything else in the ancient world. In 332 BC, Alexander the Great set out to conquer Tyre, a strategic coastal base in the war between the Greeks and the Persians. ...
At some point, a universal joint (which was invented just for this function) was also added to the stand, allowing the operators to alter the trajectory and firing direction of the ballista as required. A universal joint A universal joint, U joint, Cardan joint or Hardy-Spicer joint is a joint in a rigid rod that allows the rod to bend in any direction. ...
The Roman Weapon After the absorption of the Ancient Greek city-states into the Roman Republic in 146 BC, the highly advanced Greek technology began to spread across many areas of Roman influence. This included the hugely advantageous military advances the Greeks had made (most notably by Dionysus of Syracuse), as well as all the scientific, mathematical, political and artistic developments. A Ballista File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
A Ballista File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (3696x2464, 1856 KB) Summary Romanian National History Museum Cast Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Ballista Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the...
Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (3696x2464, 1856 KB) Summary Romanian National History Museum Cast Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Ballista Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the...
Trajans Column is a monument in Rome raised by Apollodorus of Damascus at the order of the Senate. ...
This article refers to the state which existed from the 6th century BC to the 1st century BC. For alternate meanings, see Roman Republic (18th century) and Roman Republic (19th century). ...
The Romans 'inherited' the torsion powered Ballista which had by now spread to several cities around the Mediterranean, all of which became Roman spoils of war in time, including one from Pergamum, which was depicted among a pile of 'trophy' weapons in relief on a balustrade. Pergamon or Pergamum (modern day Bergama in Turkey) was a Greek city, in northwestern Anatolia, 16 miles from the Aegean Sea, located on a promontory on the north side of the river Caicus (modern day Bakir), that became an important kingdom during the Hellenistic period, under the Attalid dynasty, 282...
The torsion ballista, developed by Alexander, was a far more complicated weapon than its predecessor and the Romans developed it even further, especially into much smaller versions, that could easily be carried.
The early Roman ballista The early Roman Ballista were made of wood, and held together with iron plates around the frames and iron nails in the stand. The main stand had a slider on the top, into which were loaded the bolts or stone 'shot'. Attached to this, at the back, was a pair of Winches and a Claw, used to ratchet the bowstring back to the armed firing position. Modern self-tailing winch on a sailing boat. ...
A ratchet lever hoist. ...
The slider passed through the field frames of the weapon, in which were located the torsion springs (rope made of animal sinew), which were twisted around the bow arms, which in turn were attached to the bowstring. A tendon (or sinew) is a tough band of fibrous connective tissue that connects muscle to bone and is built to withstand tension. ...
Drawing the bowstring back with the winches twisted the already taut springs, storing the energy to fire the projectiles.
The ballista was a highly accurate weapon (there are many accounts of single soldiers being picked off by ballista operators), but some design aspects meant it could compromise its accuracy for range. The maximum range was over 500 yards, but effective combat range for many targets was far shorter. The ballista's relatively lightweight bolts also did not have the high momentum of the stones thrown by the later onagers, trebuchets, or mangonels; these could be as heavy as 200-300 pounds (90-135 kg). Image File history File links Download high resolution version (935x850, 164 KB) Summary Iron ballista bold heads. ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (935x850, 164 KB) Summary Iron ballista bold heads. ...
Sketch of an Onager, from Antique technology by Diels. ...
For the typeface, see Trebuchet MS. Trebuchet at Château des Baux, France. ...
A mangonel was a type of catapult or siege machine used in the medieval period to throw projectiles at a castles walls. ...
Officially the pound is the name for at least three different units of mass: The pound (avoirdupois). ...
“Kg†redirects here. ...
The Romans continued the development of the Ballista, and it became a highly prized and valued weapon in the army of the Roman Empire. For other uses, see Roman Empire (disambiguation). ...
It was used, just before the start of the Empire, by Julius Caesar during his conquest of Gaul and on both of his campaigns in conquering Britain. Both attempted invasions of Britain and the siege of Alesi are recorded in his own Commentarii (journal), The Gallic Wars (De Bello Gallico). For other uses, see Julius Caesar (disambiguation). ...
Gaul (Latin: ) was the name given,in ancient times, to the region of Western Europe comprising present-day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Switzerland and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the Rhine river. ...
Commentarii (Latin, =Greek: hupomnêmta), are notes to assist the memory, or memoranda. ...
Combatants Roman Republic Several Gallic tribes Commanders Julius Caesar Titus Labienus Mark Antony Quintus Cicero Vercingetorix, Ambiorix, Commius, among other The Gallic Wars were a series of military campaigns by several invading Roman legions under the command of Julius Caesar into Gaul, and the subsequent uprisings of the Gallic tribes. ...
Commentarii de Bello Gallico (literally Commentaries on the Gallic War in Latin) is an account written by Julius Caesar (in the third person) about his nine years of war in Gaul. ...
The first invasion of Britain The first invasion of Britain took place in 55 BC, after a rapid and successful initial conquest of Gaul, in part as an exploratory expedition to see the land across the sea, and more practically to try and put an end to the reinforcements sent across by the native Britons to fight the Romans in Gaul. Britain was the target of invasion by forces of the Roman Republic and Roman Empire several times during its history. ...
Brython and Brythonic are terms which refer to indigenous, pre-Roman, Celtic speaking inhabitants of most of the island of Great Britain, and their cultures and languages, the Brythonic languages. ...
A total of eighty transports, carrying two legions attempted to land on the British shore (the eighteen accompanying cavalry transports had been blown off course on the way over), only to be driven back by the many British warriors assembled along the shoreline. The ships had to unload their troops on the beach, as it was the only one suitable for many miles, yet the massed ranks of British charioteers and javeliners were making it impossible. For other uses, see Chariot (disambiguation). ...
Seeing this, Caesar ordered the warships – which were swifter and easier to handle than the transports, and likely to impress the natives more by their unfamiliar appearance – to be removed a short distance from the others, and then be rowed hard and run ashore on the enemy’s right flank, from which position the slings, bows and artillery could be used by men on deck to drive them back. This manoeuvre was highly successful.
Scared by the strange shape of the warships, the motion of the oars, and the unfamiliar machines, the natives halted and then retreated a little. (Caesar, The Conquest of Gaul, p99)
The siege of Alesia In Gaul, the stronghold of Alesia was under a Roman siege in 52 BC, and was famously almost completely surrounded by a fourteen mile long trench filled with water diverted from the local river, then another trench, then a wooden palisade and towers, then the besiegeing Roman army, then another series of palisades and trenches to protect them from any Gallic relief forces. As was standard siege technique at the time, small ballistae were placed up in the towers as snipers and other troops armed with either bows or slings. Vercingetorix Memorial in Alesia (Alise-Sainte-Reine) Alesia was the capital of the Mandubii, one of the Gaulish tribes allied with the mighty Aedui, and after Julius Caesars conquest a Roman town (Oppidum) in Gaul. ...
Combatants Roman Republic Gallic Tribes Commanders Julius Caesar Vercingetorix Commius Strength ~30,000-60,000, 12 Roman legions and auxiliaries ~330,000 some 80,000 besieged ~250,000 relief forces Casualties 12,800 40,000-250,000 [] The Battle of Alesia or Siege of Alesia took place in September 52...
Palisade and Moat A palisade is a Medieval wooden fence or wall of variable height, used as a defensive structure. ...
This image depicts a typical bow, as made by the Huns, lying against a tree. ...
The word sling may refer to one of the following: A sling (weapon) is a device used to hurl projectiles A sling is one of any sort of mixed alcoholic drink, also known as a cocktail. ...
The ballista in the Roman Empire During the days of the conquest of Empire, the ballista proved its worth many times, in sieges and battles, on ships and on the land. It was even used to quell riots. It is from the time of the Roman Empire that many of the archaeological finds of ballistae date and in these times that many of the authors, whose technical manuals and journal accounts used by archaeologists to reconstruct these weapons, wrote their accounts.
After the time of Julius Caesar, the ballista was a permanent fixture in the Roman Army and, over time, modifications and improvements were made by successive engineers. This included replacing the remaining wooden parts of the machine with metal, creating a much smaller and lighter machine, capable of even more power than the wooden version, since the metal was not liable to snap like the wood, and which required less maintenance (though the vital torsion springs were still vulnerable to the rain).
The cheiroballistra/Manuballista The Cheiroballistra and the Manuballista (hereafter Manuballista) are held by many archaeologists to be the same weapon[citation needed]. The difference in names comes from the different languages spoken in the Empire. Latin remained the official language in the Western Empire, but the Eastern Empire predominantly used Greek, which added an extra 'r' in the word Ballista. The cheiroballista, cheiroballistra or manuballista, which translates in all its forms to hand ballista, was a late siege engine developed by the ancient Romans. ...
Motto Senatus Populusque Romanus The Western Roman Empire in 395. ...
Byzantine redirects here. ...
The Manuballista was a handheld version of the traditional Ballista. This new version was made entirely of iron, which conferred greater power to the weapon, since it was smaller, and less iron, an expensive material before the 19th century, was used in its production. It was not the ancient Gastraphetes, but the Roman weapon. However, the same physical limitations applied as with the Gastraphetes. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...
The carroballista The Carroballista was a cart-mounted version of the weapon. This gave it a great deal of flexibility and much more ability as a battlefield weapon, since the increased maneuverability allowed it to be moved with the flow of the battle. This weapon features several times on Trajan's Column. Trajans Column is a monument in Rome raised by Apollodorus of Damascus at the order of the Senate. ...
The polybolos According to some sources, the Roman military, at one time in its history, also fielded 'repeating' ballistae, also known as a polybolos. Reconstruction and trials of such a weapon carried out in a BBC documentary 'What the Romans Did For Us' showed that they "were able to shoot eleven bolts a minute, which is almost four times the rate at which an ordinary ballista can be operated".[2] However, this has not yet been found archaeologically. They operate using a cam to pull the mensa (the place where the projectile travels on) backwards and the string along with it. At the rearmost position, the string is unlocked and propels the projectile forwards. The mensa is then pushed forward and pushes a bolt out of the magazine above it, and latches on to the string, all done with the rotating cam. The cycle then repeats. The polybolos was a repeating ballista invented by Dionysius of Alexandria used in antiquity, capable of firing multiple rounds without reloading like a modern machine gun. ...
Archaeology and the Roman ballista
 A small ballista (nine feet long). Note that the torsion springs are shorter than would be historically accurate. Archaeology, and in particular Experimental archaeology has been particularly influential on this subject. Although several ancient authors (such as Vegetius) wrote very detailed technical treatises, providing us with all the information necessary to reconstruct the weapons, all their measurements were in their native language and therefore highly difficult to translate. Download high resolution version (1280x960, 213 KB)This is a picture I took of a medieval siege weapon I made File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Download high resolution version (1280x960, 213 KB)This is a picture I took of a medieval siege weapon I made File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2592 × 1944 pixel, file size: 1. ...
Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2592 × 1944 pixel, file size: 1. ...
For the magazine about archaeology, see Archaeology (magazine). ...
Experimental archaeology employs a number of different methods, techniques, analyses, and approaches in order to generate and test hypotheses or an interpretation, based upon archaeological source material, like ancient structures or artifacts. ...
Vegetius (Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus) was a celebrated military writer of the 4th century. ...
Attempts to reconstruct these ancient weapons began at the end of the 19th century, based on the rough translations of these ancient authors. It was only during the 20th century, however, that many of these reconstructions began to make any sense as a weapon. By bringing in modern engineers, progress was made with the ancient measurement systems. By redesigning the reconstructions using the new information, archaeologists in the field were able to recognize certain finds from Roman military sites, and identify them as ballistae. The information learned from the excavations then went back into the next generation of reconstructions and so on.
Sites across the empire have yielded information on ballistae, from Spain (the Ampurias Catapult), to Italy (the Cremona Battleshield, which proved that the weapons had decorative metal plates to shield the operators), to Iraq (the Hatra Machine) and even Scotland (Burnswark siege tactics training camp), and many other sites between.
The most influential archaeologists in this area have been Peter Connolley and Eric Marsden, who have not only written extensively on the subject but have also made many reconstructions themselves and have refined the designs over many years of work.
The Middle Ages With the decline of the Roman Empire, resources to build and maintain these complex machines became very scarce, so the ballista was supplanted by the simpler and cheaper onager. Sketch of an Onager, from Antique technology by Diels. ...
Though the weapon continued to be used in the Middle Ages, it faded from popular use with the advent of the trebuchet and mangonel in siege warfare. The crossbow and eventually the longbow supplanted it as sniper weapon. They all were simpler to make, easier to maintain (no anointment) and much cheaper. Due to the limited influence of the (now mostly dissolved) Roman Empire, the ballista could rarely be found in use across both Europe and the Middle East in the Middle Ages. For the typeface, see Trebuchet MS. Trebuchet at Château des Baux, France. ...
A mangonel was a type of catapult or siege machine used in the medieval period to throw projectiles at a castles walls. ...
This article is about the weapon. ...
Lemonwood, purpleheart and hickory longbow, 45 lbf draw force. ...
References - ^ Warry, J. (1995). Warfare in the Classical World. Pg.178 Salamander Books Ltd., London: United Kingdom. ISBN 0-8061-2794-5
- ^ Discovering Roman Technology, by Adam Hart-Davis
See also Ballistics (gr. ...
A catapulta was an ancient military machine for throwing arrows and javelins, 12 or 15 feet long, at the enemy. ...
Replica catapult at Château des Baux, France For the handheld Y-shaped weapon, see slingshot. ...
The cheiroballista, cheiroballistra or manuballista, which translates in all its forms to hand ballista, was a late Roman siege engine. ...
This article is about the weapon. ...
The gastraphetes (Greek γαστÏαφÎτης, lit. ...
Lithobolos (Stone-Throwers) were artillery weapons used in ancient warfare and medieval warfare. ...
Sketch of an Onager, from Antique technology by Diels. ...
The Oxybeles (Οξυβόλος, literally bolt shooter) Category: ...
Replica battering ram at Château des Baux, France. ...
Scorpio (Dart-thrower) was a Roman artillery invention in 50 BC and described by Vitruvius with the next major improvement being the Cheiroballista. ...
Mathematically the term trajectory refers to the ordered set of states which are assumed by a dynamical system over time (see e. ...
For the typeface, see Trebuchet MS. Trebuchet at Château des Baux, France. ...
Notes and references - ^ Warry, J. (1995). Warfare in the Classical World. Pg.178 Salamander Books Ltd., London: United Kingdom. ISBN 0-8061-2794-5
- ^ Discovering Roman Technology, by Adam Hart-Davis
- Caesar (tr Handforth), 1982, The Conquest of Gaul, London: Penguin Books
- Campbell, D; 2003, Greek and Roman Artillery 399 BC – AD 363, Osprey
- Connolly, P; 1975, The Roman Army, Macdonald Educational
- Connolly, P; 1998, Greece and Rome at War, Greenhill Books
- Feugère, M; 2002, Weapons of the Romans, Arcadia
- Goldsworthy, A; 2003, The Complete Roman Army, Thames and Hudson
- Marsden, E.W; 1971, Greek and Roman Technical Treatises, Clarendon
- Wilkins, A; 2003, Roman Artillery, Shire Archaeology
- Article in the Scientific American magazine.
External links |
Feeds |
Contact