Roman Artillery

Roman Artillery

Author: Alan Wilkins

Publisher: Shire Publications

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 84

ISBN-13:

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After examining the Greek origins of torsion-powered catapults, this book describes the machines used from the time of Caesar onwards, their dominance in the warfare of the western world for over a thousand years, and their importance in the history of technology.


Roman Imperial Artillery

Roman Imperial Artillery

Author: Alan Wilkins

Publisher: Archaeopress Publishing Ltd

Published: 2024-05-30

Total Pages: 254

ISBN-13: 180327784X

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Fully revised and expanded for a new Third Edition, this book traces the Greek origins of torsion catapults, describes the machines used from the time of Sulla and Caesar, the Roman improvements in their design and power, and their importance in the defence of the Roman Empire.


Art of the Catapult

Art of the Catapult

Author: William Gurstelle

Publisher: Chicago Review Press

Published: 2004-07-01

Total Pages: 195

ISBN-13: 1569766770

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Whether playing at defending their own castle or simply chucking pumpkins over a fence, wannabe marauders and tinkerers will become fast acquainted with Ludgar, the War Wolf, Ill Neighbor, Cabulus, and the Wild Donkey—ancient artillery devices known commonly as catapults. Building these simple yet sophisticated machines introduces fundamentals of math and physics using levers, force, torsion, tension, and traction. Instructions and diagrams illustrate how to build seven authentic working model catapults, including an early Greek ballista, a Roman onager, and the apex of catapult technology, the English trebuchet. Additional projects include learning how to lash and make rope and how to construct and use a hand sling and a staff sling. The colorful history of siege warfare is explored through the stories of Alexander the Great and his battle of Tyre; Saladin, Richard the Lionheart, and the Third Crusade; pirate-turned-soldier John Crabbe and his ship-mounted catapults; and Edward I of England and his battle against the Scots at Stirling Castle.


Greek and Roman Artillery 399 BC–AD 363

Greek and Roman Artillery 399 BC–AD 363

Author: Duncan B Campbell

Publisher: Osprey Publishing

Published: 2003-11-21

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781841766348

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The catapult (katapeltikon) was invented under the patronage of Dionysius I, tyrant of Syracuse, in the 4th century bc. At first only the arrow-firing variant was used, and it was not until the reign of Alexander the Great that stone-projecting catapults were introduced. The Romans adopted these weapons during the Punic Wars and further developed them, before introducing the new arrow-firing ballista and stone-throwing onager. This title traces the often controversial design, development and construction of these weapons throughout the history of the classical world.


Roman Siege Warfare

Roman Siege Warfare

Author: Josh Levithan

Publisher: University of Michigan Press

Published: 2013-12-04

Total Pages: 259

ISBN-13: 0472118986

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Key reading for the discerning history buff or academic specialist


Greek and Roman Artillery

Greek and Roman Artillery

Author: Eric William Marsden

Publisher:

Published: 1969

Total Pages: 264

ISBN-13:

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"Defining a piece of artillery as a 'relatively complex engine powered by springs of resilient metal, composed of several mechanical devices, and designed to hurl bolts or shot over the longest possible range', Marsden presents a comprehensive account of the development and historical employment of ancient artillery from its invention in 399 BC to the collapse of the Roman Empire in the West (c. AD 400). Among the many topics raised are the influence of the introduction of artillery on warfare, the organization of artillery by states and monarchs, the obtaining of artificers and the training of artillery-men by ancient governments, and the effects of artillery on the design of fortifications. The work is based on the Greek and Latin texts describing the construction of catapults, ballistae and other machines translated in Greek and Roman Artillery: Technical Treatises"--


Roman Imperial Artillery

Roman Imperial Artillery

Author: Alan Wilkins

Publisher:

Published: 2024-05-30

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781803277837

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Greek and Roman torsion catapults were the most powerful missile projectors in the western world from their invention in the 4th century BC to the 11th century AD. Powered by the energy stored in tensioned and twisted rope springs, they outranged archers, slingers and all other missile launchers. After tracing their Greek origins, Roman Imperial Artillery describes the machines used from the time of Sulla and Caesar, the Roman improvements in their design and power, and their importance in the defence of the Roman Empire. Full-size reconstructions, made in collaboration with engineers Len Morgan and Tom Feeley, are based firmly on the author's revised editions of the texts of the Greek and Roman engineers, the latest archaeological finds and the evidence of relief sculptures. This revised edition analyses remarkable new finds from the Rhine frontier in the Netherlands and elsewhere. The 1999 find of a catapult frame in Germany allows an accurate reconstruction of the standard early Imperial bolt-shooter, as used in the AD 43 invasion of Britain by Vespasian against hillforts at Maiden Castle and Hod Hill. The siege-camps at Burnswark Hill, Dumfriesshire are investigated. Range and accuracy are examined, and technical tests demonstrate the strike power of these formidable and long-lived weapons.


Artillery in the Era of the Crusades

Artillery in the Era of the Crusades

Author: Michael S. Fulton

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2018-08-13

Total Pages: 542

ISBN-13: 9004376925

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Artillery in the Era of the Crusades provides a detailed examination of the use of mechanical artillery in the Levant through the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Rather than focus on a selection of sensational anecdotes, Michael S. Fulton explores the full scope of the available literary and archaeological evidence, reinterpreting the development of trebuchet technology and the ways in which it was used during this period. Among the arguments put forward, Fulton challenges the popular perception that the invention of the counterweight trebuchet was responsible for the dramatic transformation in the design of fortifications around the start of the thirteenth century. See inside the book.


Greek and Roman Siege Machinery 399 BC–AD 363

Greek and Roman Siege Machinery 399 BC–AD 363

Author: Duncan B Campbell

Publisher: Osprey Publishing

Published: 2003-06-20

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781841766058

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Siege machinery first appeared in the West during the Carthaginian invasion of Sicily in the late-5th century BC, in the form of siege towers and battering rams. After a 50-year hiatus these weapons of war re-appeared in the Macedonian armies of Philip II and Alexander the Great, a period that saw the height of their development in the Ancient World. The experience of warfare with both the Carthaginians during the later-3rd century BC, and Philip V of Macedon during the early-2nd century BC, finally prompted the introduction of the siege tower and the battering ram to the Roman arsenal. This title traces the development and use of these weapons across the whole of this period.