A List of Important Books and Articles About Roman Artillery
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Los Proyectiles De Artillería Romana En El Oppidum De Monte Bernorio (Villarén, Palencia) Y Las Campañas De Augusto En La Primera Fase De La Guerra Cantábrica
GLADIUS Estudios sobre armas antiguas, arte militar y vida cultural en oriente y occidente XXXIII (2013), pp. 57-80 ISSN: 0436-029X doi: 10.3989/gladius.2013.0003 LOS PROYECTILES DE ARTILLERÍA ROMANA EN EL OPPIDUM DE MONTE BERNORIO (VILLARÉN, PALENCIA) Y LAS CAMPAÑAS DE AUGUSTO EN LA PRIMERA FASE DE LA GUERRA CANTÁBRICA ROMAN ARTILLERY PROJECTILES FROM THE OPPIDUM AT MONTE BERNORIO (VILLARÉN, PALENCIA) AND THE CAMPAIGNS OF AUGUSTUS IN THE EARLY PHASES OF THE CANTABRIAN WAR POR JESÚS F. TORRES -MAR T ÍNEZ (KECHU )*, AN T XO K A MAR T ÍNEZ VELASCO ** y CRIS T INA PÉREZ FARRACES *** RESU M EN - ABS T RAC T El oppidum de Monte Bernorio es conocido como una de las ciudades fortificadas de la Edad del Hierro más importantes del cantábrico. Domina una importante encrucijada de pasos a través de la Cordillera Cantábrica que per- mite la comunicación entre la submeseta norte y la zona central de la franja cantábrica. La conquista de este oppidum resultó esencial, como demuestran las recientes campañas de excavación arqueológicas, durante las campañas mili- tares que el emperador Octavio Augusto desencadenó contra Cántabros y Astures. Se presentan en este trabajo nuevas informaciones relacionadas con la conquista del núcleo por parte de las legiones romanas y de los restos de armamento localizados en las excavaciones, en especial de los proyectiles de artillería empleados en el ataque. La presencia de proyectiles de artillería de pequeño calibre indicaría el empleo de este tipo de máquinas en época altoimperial. The oppidum of Mount Bernorio is known as one of the most prominent fortified sites in the Iron Age in the Cantabrian coast. -
The Xanten-Wardt and Carlisle Catapult Finds
The Xanten-Wardt Roman torsion catapult and catapult parts from Carlisle Alan Wilkins The Xanten-Wardt frame from a Roman torsion bolt-shooting catapult of the 1st century AD was discovered in 1999 in a gravel quarry in north west Germany at 51˚ 40ˈ N, 6˚ 27ˈ E. The site was once an arm of the Rhine, but is now the Südsee, a water-sport lake NNE of the Xanten Archaeological Park. The sumptuous official report on the find has now been published by Verlag Philipp von Zabern as Xanten Berichte Band 18: Die Frühkaiserzeitliche Manuballista Aus Xanten-Wardt. This exciting discovery has added far more to our understanding of these machines than previous finds of catapult frame parts from Ampurias, Caminreal and elsewhere. Not only has the metal plating survived, but for the first time the wood of the frame and the front end of the slider and stock have been preserved. The iron and bronze plating includes the battle shields for the spring-cord, organic material from which has been identified by electron microscope as sinew rope. The four bronze washers and washer-bars are there, with one complete washer pin and two broken ones. Fig. 1 The Xanten-Wardt frame after conservation (Maarten Dolmans) Most of the Xanten-Wardt report is rightly devoted to the details of the long and painstaking recovery of the machine from its coffin of solidified sand, grit and pebbles. X- rays and CT scans were used to locate the buried parts, in order to guide the delicate task of removing the concretion. -
Torsion Testing (Part 1: Details)
Composite Torsion Catapult Research: A Fun Use for Modern Engineering David Mollenhauer(1), Bryan Langley(2), Chase Nessler(3), John Camping(4), Charlie Johnson(5), Josh “Bob” Briggs(6), 2nd Lt. Gabe Jacobson(1), Jennifer Chase-Fielding(1), Bob Oakes(7), Tara Storage(1), Garry Ware(10), Brian Owens(8), Capt. Ron Roberts(9), Art Safriet(4) (1) Air Force Research Laboratory (2) YUSA Corporation (3) Wright State University (4) University of Dayton Research Institute (5) Northrop Grumman Mission Systems (6) The job of the month (7) Vibrodyne Systems (8) Texas A&M University (9) Air Force Institute of Technology (10) University of Dayton 937-255-9728 [email protected] Background an Onager is... • a one armed catapult • powered by torsion rope bundle • sinew or hair (women’s or horse) • usually with a sling Y q X Background an Onager is not... a ballista a trébuchet QuickTime™ and a TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor are needed to see this picture. Warwick Castle trebuchet machine built by Kurt Suleski and team Background (Historical Perspective) • torsion catapults were first mentioned c. 399 BC • invented in Syracuse • world’s first big dollar military R&D program • 2-armed torsion catapults were first to be developed • inefficiencies in horn/sinew bows • horn on compression side • sinew on tension side • wood core is dead mass • Greeks developed written guidelines for construction Background (Historical Perspective) • the onager was first mentioned by Philon c. 200BC • λιθοβολοι μοναγκωνεζ (Lithobolos Monagon) “one arm” • widespread use c. 300AD discussed by the Roman Ammianus • various names: scorpio, catapulta, & onager • continued use into the Middle ages: known as a mangonel. -
So You Want to Build an Onager Brian Lapham Lord Doughal Stewart
Catapulta So you want to Build an Onager By Brian Lapham Also known as: Lord Doughal Stewart Copyright ©2003 Fowl Farms Publishing A division of Fowl Farms Inc. 1 Contents Getting Started 1 Firing 23 Background 1 Preparing for a live shoot 23 What do you want your catapult to do? 2 Tensioning the skein 23 How will you transport it? 2 Aiming and firing 23 Where will you store it? 2 Tweaking 24 What are those parts called, anyway? 3 What will it look like? 4 Calculating the dimensions 4 Making plans 6 Conclusion 25 Choosing materials 7 Tools 8 Book sources A Construction 9 Internet sources A Main frame 9 Subsidiary structure and buffer 11 Parts list B Throwing arm 12 Torsion hardware 14 Additional schematics C Attaching the skein and arm 15 The winch 16 Sling 18 Pouch shape 18 Sling length 19 Sling stability 19 How to build a sling 19 Projectile ramp 20 Wheels 21 Projectiles 21 Finishing work 22 Getting Started So how long have you wanted to fling things? I’ve had the urge for this since I was in elementary school. My interest was re-peaked when I saw a Saturday Night Live sketch which was a commercial spoof for a backyard catapult to launch your trash into your neighbor’s yard. But it wasn’t until 1994, after I’d been in the Society for Creative Anachronism for a couple of years, when I went to my first Estrella war and saw a catapult powered by garage door springs. That was when I decided to make catapults the focus of my SCA hobby. -
5. the Bolt-Shooter: Accuracy, Range and Effects
5. The bolt-shooter: accuracy, range and effects Dramatic archaeological evidence comes from the Claudian invasion of Britain which began in AD 43, during which the future emperor Vespasian commanding the Second Legion fought thirty battles, defeated two tribes and captured more than twenty hill-forts and the Isle of Wight. Archaeologists believe that they have located evidence of his artillery in action at two hill forts in Dorset. 1. Artillery victim at Maiden Castle Iron bolt head from a Roman catapult lodged in the spine of a Briton buried at Maiden Castle, Dorset (Wheeler 1943, Plate LVIIIA and page 352, Skeleton P7A “adult male, aged 20-30 years”). The bolt appears to have travelled uphill and entered around his belly-button. The 10-11mm internal diameter of the socket is too small for a three-span bolt-shooter (and for a thrusting spear) and was probably shot from a Xanten-Wardt size of catapult (section xx below). The large numbers of socketed bolt heads found on the Hod Hill site since the 19th century and now in the British Museum have been recorded and analysed by Professor Bill Manning (Manning 1985). A large percentage of them have this small diameter of socket, as have the heads recorded from Vindolanda by Robin Birley, and those from many other sites; a bolt head of this size has been found in the current excavations at Ham Hill, Dorset. Compare this leaf-shaped blade with a similar one from Hod Hill in figure 15 right and the comments in the caption there. (Skeleton now in the Dorset County Museum, Dorchester. -
Gladius Xxiii (2003)
Gladius XXIII, 2003, pp. 111-140 THE INSWINGING THEORY POR AITOR IRIARTE Dedicated to the memory of John Anstee ABSTRACT - RESUMEN Did bow-arms in ancient Greco-Roman palintone shooting machines swing by the outside or by the inside of the frame?. Unfortunately, and in spite of the widespread belief, this question has no definite answer yet. Avail- able archaeological, textual and pictorial evidence has been assembled together and discussed in this paper, so that readers will be able to draw their own conclusions. ¿Se movían los brazos de arco en las piezas artilleras palíntonas del período Greco-Romano por el exterior o por el interior del bastidor? Lamentablemente, y a pesar de la creencia general, todavía no disponemos de una respuesta clara para esa pregunta. En este artículo ha sido reunida y comentada toda la información arqueológica, literaria e iconográfica a mi alcance, de modo que quien lo lea pueda sacar sus propias conclusiones al respecto. KEY WORDS - PALABRAS CLAVE Artillery. Greco-Roman. Palintones. Bow-arms. Outswinging. Inswinging. Artillería. Greco-Romana. Palíntonos. Brazos de arco. Externos. Internos. INTRODUCTION Surely one of the most vivid areas of discussion on the study of Greco-Roman artillery today is that concerning the position of the bow-arms in the palintones. Well, maybe to call it ‘vivid’ is not fairly accurate, because scholars defending the ‘official’ theory, instead of de- scending to the battlefield of open-minded scientific discussion, have comfortably barricaded themselves behind the shield of ‘oh, twaddle!’. I was not very far from that position just a few years ago, but now I believe that things are not so settled as many people may think, and time has come to put together all available evidence about the matter, with the hope of spar- kling at least a serious discussion on it. -
Scientific American 95
Scientific American 95 THE ",ROMAN ORDNANCE" AT THE SAALBURG. second century B. C. (I. Macc. 6.51) but even in the if the stick is withdrawn a little way and suddenly re BY PROF. RUDOLF SCHNEIDER. eighth century B. C. (II. Chron. 26.15). It seems not leased,. its longer end flies around alld strikes sharply For many years the German government has been unlikely, therefore, that the Greeks merely adopted on the edge of the nutshell, producing a loud sound carrying on a systematic exploration of the ruined and perfected an ancient device of Oriental invention. pleasing to youthful ears. fortifications along the line of the Roman military This plaything, if constructed on a larger scale of frontier (linies imperii Romani), extending from the stronger materials, with a sling attached to the free Danube near Regensburg to the Rhine near Neuwied, end of the stick, would fairly represent the simplest a distance of 340 miles. The work received a new im form of tormentum, the onager, or machine sling (Fig. petus a few years ago when the Kaiser ordered the 3). This machine was employed to hurl great stones restoration of the best preserved fort, the Saalburg against walls and towers for the purpose of shattering on the Taunus ridge near Frankfurt, in order that it them or making a breach. The base of the onager is might serve at once as a model of a Roman fortress formed of two parallel heavy timbers, joined by cross and as a museum for antique objects of interest dis pieces at their ends and pierced in the middle by holes covered in the course of the explorations. -
Philological Notes on the Crossbow and Related Missile Weapons , Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies, 33:3 (1992:Fall) P.265
PÉTRIN, NICOLE, Philological Notes on the Crossbow and Related Missile Weapons , Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies, 33:3 (1992:Fall) p.265 Philological Notes on the Crossbow and Related Missile Weapons Nicole Petrin o CLARIFY SOME PROBLEMS related to the early history of T the crossbow, this paper assembles some philological material on missile weapons from Late Antiquity (in parti cular Ammianus and Vegetius) to ca 1100. These problems arise from the tendency of modern interpretations of ancient techni cal documents to ascribe a fixed value to technical vocabulary by defining it either in the abstract or on the basis of documents from different periods or cultures; the context is then adjusted to fit a preconceived notion of a term instead of inferring its precise value at a particular point in time from a given context. To show how misleading this procedure is, in modern English a 'gun' is a portable firearm, but a 'gunner' is an artilleryman. The latter reflects the earliest uses of the English gonne: "A siege engine that casts missiles; ballista, mangonel, trebuchet; also, a ram.» The meaning of gonne evolved along with technology and came to mean various kinds of artillery pieces in Elizabe than times. 1 If only fragmentary documentation survived from the past thousand years, it might be easy to confuse 'gunners' and 'gunmen' (that is, military men and gangsters); and if the researcher were misled by lexical uniformity, he might seek identity between heavy artillery on ramparts and pearl-handled guns in night tables, and he would then feel called upon to account for inexplicably large night tables. -
Notitia Dignitatum Et Administrationum Omnium Tam Civilium Quam
<^ ;m.^^ i INDEX AD NOTITIAM DIGNITATVM ET ADMINISTRATIONVM ! ! 1 ! -. ^^ , ^A 1,. -/fx le bori livre que Notitla Imperli Komani los. lust. Scaliger. (Scaligerana. A Cologne 1695. 160. p. 268.) Ein kleines Steinchen macht nicht gleich das Wasser truhe, und, wie mich dunkt, ist es achon ein Verdienst , nach dem Ziele zu werfen, wenn man es gleich nicht triffl. Ist man nicht ein halber Erfinder, wenn man einem Andern durch sei~ nen Irrthum %u Erfindungen Gelegenheit gegeben? oder hat derjenige nicht einen Antheil am neuen Gebdude, der das go- thische abgerissen, ob er gleich nicht einmal in den Umstdn- den gewesen ist, allen Schutt wegzubringen? (Hippel) Ueber die Ehe. (Berl. 1792. f. 107.) Leser und Nachschlager Jch weiss jetztjetzt auch einiges besser, als esi im Buche steht. Vergiss memt ScA^AnJfiapi^,(ftQpi^, wenn Dir ein bessererbesserei Ueberblick uber die Zustdnde "des gemnh?neimR6merstaates^netmRdmerstaates gegonnt istist. his utere inecum. phrm 29iyan. 1853. B, 1 ^- :** INDEX AD NOTITIAM DIGNITATVM. Numeri ad paginas, crassiores inclinatae ad textus quem vocant, ceteri ad Annotatlonis paginas referunt. qul ad Notitiam in partibus Occidentis referunt, post asteriscum positi sunt, e.gr/Abyla *459. Abyla Vetus 383' i.e. Abyla : tom.II.p.459. Abyla vetus : tora.I.p.383, A., AR., ARL., COL. ARELAT. SEXTAN. Abela 377. -*351. Abens fl. »764 766. a ef permutatae *823. AbensbergV^l. Abenstorff^l87. - (praepos.) Aberconwey *865. - Carnunto translatae *99. Abercorn »895. Abercurnig »895. - Chora Parisios usque *i22. H^eaTitxQios (A vestibus) »289. o - Libellis 52 54 56 69 71 73 77 80 83 'A^EaTiaqiov »338. bis.86 88 91 94 97 100 103 106 109 '^|3^r 334. -
Roman Military Equipment from the Punic Wars to the Fall of Rome Pdf, Epub, Ebook
ROMAN MILITARY EQUIPMENT FROM THE PUNIC WARS TO THE FALL OF ROME PDF, EPUB, EBOOK M. C. Bishop,J. C. Coulston | 224 pages | 30 Aug 2006 | Oxbow Books | 9781842171592 | English | Oxford, United Kingdom Roman Military Equipment from the Punic Wars to the Fall of Rome PDF Book A catapult is a siege engine which used an arm to hurl a projectile. In the 1st century, Roman cavalry started using these longer swords, and in the late 2nd or early 3rd century, Roman infantry also switched to longer swords, as well as mostly changing from carrying javelins to carrying spears. From: dsmbooks Liverpool, United Kingdom. Mild shelf wear to dust jacket otherwise protected by acetate cover. This book is in good condition but will show signs of previous ownership. A hasta was about 1. Results 1 - 30 of Over 20, books in stock - come and browse. Both the specially prepared illustrations and the text have been completely revised for the second edition of this detailed and authoritative handbook, bringing it up to date with the very latest research. Ellis Lewis rated it it was amazing Jan 13, Near fine in near fine dustwrapper. Trivia About Roman Military Eq For any queries please contact us direct. Adam Lofthouse rated it it was amazing Jun 26, Original Title. Clean near fine hard cover first edition with fine dust jacket. This should be on every Roman reenactor's bookshelf. Minimal sign of previous use but has a bump at the top of the spine. The authors of this book have gathered a wealth of evidence from all over the Roman Empire - excavated examples as well as pictorial and documentary sources - to present a picture of what range of equipment would be available at any given time, what it would look like and how it would function. -
A Suggested Reconstruction of Vitruvius' Stone-Thrower
A suggested reconstruction of Vitruvius’ Stone-thrower: de Architectura X, 11, 4 - 9 Alan Wilkins With a full-size 2 librae version constructed by Len Morgan Figure 1: Len Morgan with the Mk I 2 librae Vitruvian ballista, based on the writer‟s interpretation of the evidence and model, and modifications resulting from Len‟s experience of building at full-size. The Mk II version to be tested in September 2011 incorporates further adjustments, including a revised design of bowstring. INTRODUCTION The ballista, the stone-throwing catapult described by Augustus‟ artillery engineer Vitruvius, is a far more complex machine than the bolt-shooting catapulta. All attempts to reconstruct the latter are now able to make use of the exciting evidence of parts of three front frames discovered at Ampurias, Caminreal and Xanten. Unfortunately no finds of parts from the Vitruvian ballista have been identified to date. The catapult has to be reconstructed from the Latin text of Vitruvius and the description in Greek by Philon of an earlier version of the machine; both engineers give details of parts and their dimensions. The Greek text of the third engineer, Heron of Alexandria, does not list sizes, but offers highly valuable information about the functioning of individual parts, problems that may be encountered, etc.. Furthermore Heron‟s diagrams have survived in the manuscripts, whereas those that originally accompanied Vitruvius‟ and Philon‟s texts are lost. It might seem unsafe to attempt to reconstruct this complex machine solely from verbal descriptions in copies of manuscripts where accompanying diagrams are missing and parts of the text and the numerals recording sizes have become corrupt. -
Notas Para Un Glosario De Términos Referentes a Los Sistemas Defensivos De La Antigüedad
SALDVIE n.º 5 2005 pp. 191-213 NOTAS PARA UN GLOSARIO DE TÉRMINOS REFERENTES A LOS SISTEMAS DEFENSIVOS DE LA ANTIGÜEDAD FRANCISCO ROMEO MARUGÁN RESUMEN: En la investigación científica sobre los antiguos sistemas defensivos se emplean habi- tualmente términos especializados que a veces, en lugar de definir y de especificar aspectos o elemen- tos de las fortificaciones, crean alguna confusión. Con este trabajo queremos hacer frente a esos problemas y clarificar esos términos, avanzando en la investigación de las estructuras defensivas cons- truidas antes de la caída del imperio romano. PALABRAS CLAVE: Glosario. Sistemas defensivos. Antigüedad. SUMARY: In the scientific research in the ancient defensive systems are usually employed speciali- zed terms that, sometimes,instead of definig and specifying aspects or elements about fortifications, they create some confusion. With this paper we try to face these problems and clarify those terms, advancing in the investigation of defensive structures built before the fall of Roman Empire. KEYWORDS: Glossary, Defensive Systems, Antiquity. Cualquier investigación histórica requiere un ñando con sinonimias y polisemias el estudio de cuerpo de términos precisos para poder definir y las fortificaciones anteriores a la caída del impe- distinguir matices que de otro modo podrían rio romano. pasar inadvertidos. Esta necesidad fue ya perci- Este artículo pretende aproximarse a esta bida el siglo XIX, momento en el que comenza- problemática, definiendo algunos términos y ron a aparecer, impulsados por cierta fiebre precisando el alcance de otros, los más frecuen- enciclopedista, diccionarios y glosarios especia- tes o conflictivos. lizados cuya utilidad se prolonga, en algunos casos, hasta la actualidad.