Greek and Roman Artillery 399 BC-AD 363

by CAMPBELL, DUNCAN BDELF, BRIAN

• ISBN13: 9781841766348
• ISBN10: 1841766348
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2003-11-21
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing

Summary

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.

Author Biography

Dr Duncan B Campbell is a specialist in ancient Greek and Roman warfare. He published his first paper in 1984 as an undergraduate at Glasgow University and produced a complete re-assessment of Roman siegecraft for his PhD. Over the years his work has appeared in several international journals. He lives near the Antonine Wall in Scotland with his wife and son.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 3
The invention of the catapult
The gastraphetes
Advanced bow-machines (Plate A)
Early artillery fortifications?
The Arrow-Firing Catapult of the Greeks	p. 8
4th-century developments
The arrow-firer in the 3rd century (Plate B)
The design of the arrow-firer: the spring-frame
The design of the arrow-firer: the stock and stand
The design of the arrow-firer: the washers
The Stone-Projecting Catapult of the Greeks	p. 15
Early developments
The design of the stone-projector: the spring-frame and stock
The design of the stone-projector: the washers
The stone-projector from Alexander to Demetrius (Plate C)
The calibres of stone missiles
Roman Artillery: The Republic and Early Empire	p. 22
The legacy of the Greeks
Artillery in the Republic
Vitruvius's arrow-firer
Vitruvius's stone-projector
Artillery in the early Empire (Plate D)
Roman artillery missiles
The Roman Artillery Revolution	p. 37
The iron-framed arrow-firer (Plate E)
Heron's cheiroballistra
The design of the arrow-firing ballista: the field-frames
The design of the arrow-firing ballista: the spring-frame
The stone-projecting ballista (Plate F)
The stone-projecting onager (Plate G)
Conclusion	p. 43
References	p. 43
Colour Plate Commentary	p. 45
Index	p. 48
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