Roman Imperial Artillery : Outranging the Enemies of the Empire / Alan Wilkins.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wilkins, Alan, author.

Series:

Archaeopress Roman archaeology.

Archaeopress Roman Archaeology Series ; Volume 114

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Catapult.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (254 pages)

Edition:

Third edition.

Place of Publication:

Oxford : Archaeopress, [2024]

Summary:

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.

Contents:

Cover

Title Page

Copyright Page

Contents Page

List of Figures

Figure 161 - The Solignac hunting relief

Figure 160 - The fragmentary Roman hunting relief from St Marcel

Figure 159 - A battery of twelve bolt-shooting and one stone-throwing catapults, June 2013

Figure 158 - Tom Feeley's inswinging version in three positions (photographs: Mark Hatch)

Figure 157 - Tom Feeley's quarter-scale inward swinging Hatra catapult

Figure 156 - Hatra inswinging designs: (left) Aitor Iriarte's two versions of the Hatra catapult. (right) Mike Lewis' inswinging cheiroballistra.

Figure 155 - Mike Lewis' models

Figure 154 - Martin McAree's graphs of the relative performances of inswinger and outswinger

Figure 153 - The Morgan-Wilkins outward swinging Hatra catapult

Figure 152 - The author's suggested spring-frame design of the Hatra catapult. The bronze washers. (photographs: Diewulf Baatz)

Figure 151 - Baatz's diagram of the Hatra frame

Figure 150 - Mosul Museum's strange reconstruction of the Hatra catapult (photograph: Mary Desbruslais)

Figure 149 - Excavation photo of the Hatra catapult (photograph: W.I. Al-Salihi, Directorate-General of Antiquities, Baghdad.)

Figure 148 - The Traction trebuchet (Wikipedia Commons)

Figure 147 - The Morgan-Wilkins onager

Figure 146 - Two modern reconstructions of the onager

Figure 145 - Ms diagram of a one-arm stone-thrower on a siege tower

Figure 144. High Rochester ballistaria inscription (after Richmond).

Figure 143 - A two librae Vitruvian ballista being assembled by a team of legionaries (photograph: the Roman Military Research Society)

Figure 142 - The BBC one talent ballista launching the final ball (photograph: Margery Wilkins)

Figure 141 - 'Troops' passing through the centre gateway, thirteen abreast. (photograph: John Reid).

Figure 140 - Trajan's Column Scene LXVI. An arch strut bolt-shooter on a log emplacement

Figure 139. The 2015 excavations on Burnswark Hill

Figure 138 - Carol standing in the South Camp's deep recut ditch west of the centre gateway

Figure 137 - Carol van Driel-Murray at the centre one of the Three Brethren catapult mounds

Figure 136 - Excavation trenches 1-5 and the distribution of lead signals from 2013 to 2017

Figure 135 - Groups of lead sling bullets found in Trench 5 of the 2016 excavations and in the North Camp

Figure 134 - The Three Brethren and the 2016 trenches behind the rampart

Figure 133 - Burnswark missiles (photograph: John Reid)

Figure 132 - Burnswark sling bullets, arrowheads and a Trajan's Column stone thrower and slinger

Figure 131 - The southern Roman camp, Burnswark, looking south (photograph: © Crown Copyright: HES)

Figure 130 - The 2016 Trench 4 cut into the back of the South Camp's north west rampart (photograph: Andrew Nicholson)

Figure 129. Ballista ball from the 2015 excavation Trench 2

Figure 128 - The Roman camps and hillfort from the north east (photograph: © Crown Copyright: HES)

Figure 127 - Burnswark hillfort and Roman camps, Dumfries and Galloway (from Jobey 1977-8 Figure 1)

Figure 126 - Burnswark hillfort and the Roman South Camp (Reproduced with the permission of Cambridge University Collection of Aerial Photography © Copyright reserved.)

Figure 125 - Burnswark Hill from the SE, from close to the Eaglesfield crossing of the M74 (photograph: the author)

Figure 124 - Qasr Ibrim tanged boltheads.

Figure 123 - The Kandaxe ball and Message for Hitler on a WW2 shell

Figure 122 - Clusters of ballista balls on the West Rampart

Figure 121 - Hans Barnard's size analysis. The seven British Museum balls

Figure 120 - Ink writing on ballista balls.

Figure 119 - Ballista balls in South Rampart Street (photograph: McDonald Institute Cambridge)

Figure 118 - Map of the Nile. Airphoto of the site

Figure 117 - Qasr Ibrim before the Aswan Dam

Figure 116 - Stone missiles at the Masada Exhibition (photograph: Eric Marsden)

Figure 115 - Ballista stones and sling shot in a long line on the former river bed close to the De Meern fort.

Figure 114 - Philon's defence against the one talent ballista

Figure 113 - Cutting a one talent stone ball

Figure 112 - The Morgan-Wilkins two librae catapult in action

Figure 111 - The BBC one talent Vitruvian ballista (photograph: the author)

Figure 110 - Cross-section of table, ladder and slider

Figure 109 - The bowstring belt

Figure 108 - Trigger and mounting plate

Figure 107 - The author's model ballista

Figure 106 - The crossbars and the table

Figure 105 - Diagram of the ballista framework

Figure 104 - Crossbeams

Figure 103 - Ballista model made for Eric Marsden (photograph: the author)

Figure 102 - Heron's ballista diagram

Figure 101 - Vitruvius' plated washers

Figure 100 - Heron's rhombus diagram

Figure 99 - Ballista half spring-frame

Figure 98 - Len Morgan's two ballista reconstructions

Figure 97 - Trajan's Column: forward projecting beams - the sliders

Figure 96 - Trajan's Column: projections on the outside of the field-frame covers (photographs: the author)

Figure 95 - Penetration tests of bolts (photographs: the author)

Figure 94 - Tom Feeley's framework. Impact of bolt on lorica segmentata

Figure 93 - Two reconstructions of the cheiroballistra (photographs: the author)

Figure 92 - The Arm 'sleeves'

Figure 91 - Adding extra torsion to Len Morgan's Lyon size catapult (photograph: Margery Wilkins)

Figure 90 - The Lyon size of arch strut catapult: Tom Feeley's version.

Figure 89 - Trajan's Column: ballista on cart (photograph of the Column: the author)

Figure 88 - Reconstruction of the Elenovo crank handle-handspike (photographs: Tom Feeley)

Figure 87 - The Elenovo crank handle and handspike (illustration from Kayumov and Minchev 2010)

Figure 86 - Reconstruction of the cheiroballistra

Figure 85 - The Cupid Gem

Figure 84 - The author's version of the cheiroballistra frame parts

Figure 83 - Left hand end of the reconstructed cheiroballistra

Figure 82 - The position of the Ladder on the Field-frames. See text below (photograph: the author)

Figure 81 - Tom Feeley's version of the alternative wood encased Arms (photograph: Tom Feeley)

Figure 80 - The Elenovo arm (photograph: Kayumov and Minchev)

Figure 79 - Codices M and V diagrams of the Arms (diagrams after Wescher)

Figure 78 - Reconstruction of the main frame. The Ladder

Figure 77 - Codex P Arch and Ladder diagram

Figure 76 - The Cheiroballistra Arch

Figure 75 - Orşova iron Arch strut (photograph: Dietwulf Baatz)

Figure 74 - Kambestria from Elenovo and Sala (Morocco)

Figure 73 - The Elenovo Kambestrion (photographs: Kayumov and Minchev)

Figure 72 - Lyon and Orşova Field-frames

Figure 71 - Junction of the Ladder tenons and the Field-frames (models and photographs: the author)

Figure 70 - Codex M's Field-frames and Heron's ballista diagram

Figure 69 - Field-frame replicas and Gornea example

Figure 68 - Cheiroballistra trigger mechanism

Figure 67 - Operating the cheiroballistra

Figure 66b - The Cheiroballistra manuscript

Figure 66a - The Cheiroballistra manuscript

Figure 65 - Slow-motion film of a cheiroballistra bolt penetrating a large melon

Figure 64 - The horrific strike effect of this bolt on ballistic gel simulating human or animal flesh

Figure 63 - Dura Europos bolt replica.

Figure 62 - Misfire (still frame from video: the author)

Figure 61 - Aiming the three-span scorpio and the cheiroballistra (photographs: the author and Margery Wilkins)

Figure 60 - The author's first interpretation of the Cheiroballistra manuscript, built in 1991

Figure 59 - Two carroballistae on Trajan's Column

Figure 58 - Eric Marsden's cheiroballistra

Figure 57 - Trajan's Column catapults

Figure 56 - Victor Prou's cheiroballistra (from Prou 1877 Figures 47 and 16)

Figure 55 - Catapult scene on Trajan's Column, Rome (cast in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London)

Figure 54 - William Newton's version of the rope tensioning frame described by Vitruvius and Heron

Figure 53 - Artillery boltheads

Figure 52 - Bolt strike on chainmail and helmet

Figure 51 - Bolt damage to lorica segmentata

Figure 50 - Qasr Ibrim foreshaft and bolthead

Figure 49 - Two scorpion reconstructions

Figure 48 - Bolt 211 (top): narrow glue or paint bands at the rear end. Bolt 416 (bottom) with incomplete shaft.

Figure 47 - The complete number 211 bolt as conserved

Figure 46 - Scorpion stand

Figure 45 - The Cremona battle-shield

Figure 44 - Catapult on the Altar of Zeus, Pergamon. Scorpion curved arms (photograph: Margery Wilkins)

Figure 43 - Scorpion case, slider and winch (photographs: the author)

Figure 42 - Frame wedge system on a scorpio maior

Figure 41 - Carlisle catapult find

Figure 40 - Reconstruction of the Xanten-Wardt scorpion

Figure 39 - The Xanten-Wardt Report's box support (after Schalles 2010, 175 Figure 5)

Figure 38 - Operating Xanten-Wardt scorpions

Figure 37 - Xanten-Wardt missing parts (photographs: Maarten Dolmans)

Figure 36 - Xanten-Wardt frame

Figure 34 - Catapult washers (diagrams after Dietwulf Baatz. Washer photograph: the author).

Figure 33 - The Caminreal (Teruel) iron frame reconstructed.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9781803277844

180327784X

OCLC:

1435751405