Slingshot lead

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Roman lead from the Dünsberg in the Hessian Biebertal

Spin Sinkers (Latin glans "acorn", plural glandes ) are ancient projectiles made of lead , which by means of a spin were fired. They represent a further military development of bullets of the same shape made of fired clay, which in ancient times were mainly used by shepherds.

origin

Slingshot on the back of a stater from Aspendos

The Greek historian Strabo narrates from Ephoros von Kyme that the Aitolians invented the sling. Pliny the Elder , on the other hand, attributes them to the Syrophoenics in his naturalis historia . Metal (bronze) slingshots are documented for the first time from Troy . The first lead bullets that could have been used for hurling date from the Minoan period (LM III) from the palace of Knossos . Slingers are mentioned in large numbers in European military history for the first time in Thucydides' reports on the Peloponnesian War . There they are considered to be the most important departments of the lightly armed units. Since about 413–395 BC The Achaians, Rhodians , Cretans and Akarnans, Aetolians and Thessalians seem to have been equipped with lead slinging projectiles, as the oldest find of such a projectile with the inscription TISSAPHER from Julia Gordus (today Gördes) in Lydia shows.

From the part of written tradition, Xenophon mentions sling projectiles cast from lead for the first time . He describes in his anabasis that the Rhodians were able to achieve a greater range with these lead bullets than the Persians, who used stones. The Roman historian Titus Livius names the sling as armament of the 5th class in the Servian army order. The Romans were familiar with different types of slingshot, but they were probably not used at the same time. The most common is the funda , the simple hand slingshot . The funda was primarily used as a hunting weapon and was only secondarily a weapon used by the military. A typological distinction between hunting and war slingshots is not possible. In the battle of Cannae , the Roman troops brought slingshots with them. However, it is likely that the ammunition used for hunting and war was different. Lead seems to have been used more or less safely for projectiles used in war rather than hunting. The Roman army used Achaean slingshots inherited from the Etruscans during the Republican period . During the Roman Empire , slingshots were used, which originated in the Balearic Islands.

Ancient names

The acorn-like shape of the projectiles originally gave them the name glans . To refer to spin Leads were in Roman times next glans ( "acorn") and the names glans plumbea ( "Lead acorn"), plumbum ( "lead") or plumbum pondes used ( "Bleispitze"). In the late republican and early imperial periods, the terms glans and plumbum were mainly used .

Ancient representations

Depiction of a slingshot on the Trajan's Column

Roman slingers are known from the Trajan Column , which was inaugurated on May 12, 113. Slingers are also depicted on the Marcus Column . Unlike on the Trajan's Column, however, it is not Roman auxiliary troops but barbarians defending a river against the Romans. The only representation of a possible slingshot north of the Alps can be found on a tombstone that is dated to the Trajan period and probably comes from Xanten .

Typology

Form spectrum

Type table of Roman slingshot lead; Types according to Völling, 1990

Thomas Völling gave a typological breakdown of the sling lead. Based on the shape of the lead bullets, six types can be recognized, some of which are still divided into:

Type shape
Type I (ac) ovoid types
Type II (ac) biconoid types
Type III polygonal type
Type IV diamond-shaped type with two flattened sides
Type V acorn-shaped type
Type VI spheroid type

Types I and II appear to have been by far the most common. In combat situations, slingshots were made even in poor conditions. The soldiers could water them during a siege. The quality and shape are then determined by the given rush in which they had to be made.

During excavations at the Hillfort of Burnswark near the Scottish city of Dumfries , numerous slingshots of various types were found, some of which were pierced. This borehole caused a whirring noise when it was fired, which was intended to intimidate the enemy.

Weight

The weights of the slingshot weights vary considerably. A type I bullet with a weight of 23 grams was found at the Dünsberg , while the same type in holders weighed 129 grams. The situation is similar with type II. A find from Dünsberg weighing 26 grams is compared to a find from holders weighing 155 grams. The majority of the bullets are 40-70 grams, although there seems to have been a trend towards greater weight. However, there are always light and heavy projectiles within the individual projectile types. Hinged lead from the late classical period from Olynthos weighs between 18 and 26 grams. The lead bullets from the Gelduba fort near Krefeld from Diocletian's time , on the other hand, are around 80 grams on average.

Decor and inscriptions

Many lead bullets were provided with pictures and inscriptions that were either worked into the mold or subsequently carved into the soft lead. Types I, II and III in particular often have inscriptions, mostly in relief. In addition, there are also pictorial representations such as lightning bolts, daggers ( pugiones ), anchors, clubs and dolphins or phalluses .

Slingshot made of lead with the inscription "ΔΕΞΑ"

The most famous Greek bullet comes from Athens in the 4th century BC and bears the inscription ΔΕΞΑ, which means something like "Take that!" Or "Catch it!" It is now in the British Museum in London. Lead bullets with the inscriptions “For the victory of Tryphon” and “Dor - the fifth year in which Dor must taste sumac ” from the time of the siege of Diodotus Tryphon by Antiochus VII. Sidetes are known from ancient Dor .

The Roman inscriptions mostly name legions or commanders. They were also able to receive "diatribes" that were particularly represented in the Roman civil wars. One insulted the leaders of the opposing party or praised one's own. In addition, messages or tactical instructions could be fired with them. There are also references to the owner or manufacturer of the projectiles or the generals ("von Philippos") , which is an important help for archaeologists when dating finds. The vil "On the butt of Octavian !" Is an example of an inscription that can be helpful in dating a battlefield. Another example of this is the difficult battle of Caesar near Munda .

In addition, the inscriptions on the slingshots are good examples of the everyday language of an era.

Bullets made of stone and clay

In addition to slingshots made of lead, projectiles made of stone and fired clay were also used in antiquity. Originally, slingshots were equipped with suitable stones. Slingshot stones (Latin: lapis , lapillus , lapis missilis , saxum or saxum missilis ) are mentioned particularly frequently by authors of late antiquity. However, stone projectiles were always heterogeneous in shape and weight. A selection of suitable projectile stones had to be found. Fired clay projectiles were added later. These could be better adapted in size and shape to the requirements of the slingers. Biconically shaped projectiles can be fired more precisely.

Clay projectiles have been known archaeologically since the Iron Age for almost the entire Celtic-Germanic cultural area. However, they are not documented in the traditional Latin literature in connection with Roman troops, but occur in the archaeological findings at many Roman sites. During excavations in the Roman camp in Haltern, numerous clay projectiles were found. Most of these finds come from backfilling the storage trenches. This finding is interpreted to mean that the projectiles were hurled into the camp by the Germanic conquerors. Another interpretation assigns the clay projectiles to the Treverern , who were stationed as auxiliary troops in Haltern. The use of clay projectiles is also known among the nervous . Caesar reports that during an attack on Quintus Tullius Cicero's winter camp, the Nervians used glowing clay slingshots to set thatched huts on fire.

Iron Age sling projectiles made of clay found in Westphalia are quite uniform in shape and size. They are usually egg-shaped to biconical, about 4 centimeters long and 2.5 to 3 centimeters in diameter and an average weight of 28 grams. A special feature are the much smaller projectiles that were found during excavations of an Iron Age settlement in Hamm. These have a length of 3 centimeters and a diameter of 2.1 centimeters. Possibly these smaller projectiles were used to hunt birds or smaller mammals in the manner of shotgun .

Mode of action

Slingshots made of lead are superior to those made of stone or clay. Tests have shown that at a throwing angle of 40 ° and a throwing speed of 75 meters / second, distances of 352 meters can be achieved. The energy loss is 58%. Stone bullets only come to about 232 meters, with a loss of 77%. Clay bullets only reach 200 meters with 81% loss. From a military point of view, stone and clay projectiles are probably ineffective over long distances. Of course, the flight time of the projectile and the wind resistance increase with greater distance, whereas the aiming accuracy decreases. A long, rapid trajectory is required for a targeted release. Such a trajectory is obtained at a launch angle of 10 °. With a lead bullet you can reach an approximate distance of 150 meters. The effective military distance from hand slings was probably around 100 meters. The most effective effective range seems to have been between 30 and 60 meters. On the one hand, there was a high level of accuracy at this distance and, on the other hand, a low loss of energy. Thus, maximum damage could be achieved here. Nevertheless, Baatz's tests show that Bleiglandes are effective up to 200 meters, but no longer accurately.

The Roman physician Aulus Cornelius Celsus described medical techniques for removing slingshots from a person's body.

literature

  • Vladilen A. Anochin, Renate Rolle: Greek slingshot from the walls in front of Olbia. In: Renate Rolle, Karin Schmidt (ed.): Archaeological studies in contact zones of the ancient world. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 1998, ISBN 3-525-86278-4 , ( Publication of the Joachim Jungius Society of Sciences 87), pp. 837-848.
  • Dietwulf Baatz : slingshots made of lead. A weapons investigation. In: Saalburg-Jahrbuch 45, 1990, ISSN  0080-5157 , pp. 59-67.
  • AVAJ Bosman: Pouring lead in the pouring rain. Making slingshot under battle conditions. In: Journal of Roman Military Equipment Studies 6, 1995, ISSN  0961-3684 , pp. 99-103.
  • Michel Feugère : Les Armes des Romains. Errance, Paris 1993, ISBN 2-87772-077-2 , ( Collection des Hesperides ).
  • Michel Feugère: L'équipement militaire d'époque républicaine en Gaule. In: Journal of Roman Military Equipment Studies 5, 1994, ISSN  0961-3684 , pp. 3-23.
  • WB Griffith: The sling and its place in the Roman Imperial Army. Proceedings of the Fifth Roman Military Equipment Conference. In: Carol van Driel-Murray (Ed.): Roman Military Equipment. The sources of evidence. BAR, Oxford 1989, ISBN 0-86054-613-6 , ( British archaeological reports International series 476), pp. 255-279.
  • Martin Grünewald, Alexandra Richter: Witness Caesar's worst battle? Labeled Andalusian sling lead from the Second Punic War and the Munda Campaign. In: Journal of Papyrology and Epigraphy . Vol. 157, 2006, pp. 261-269.
  • AVM Hubrecht: The use of the sling in the Balearic Islands. In: Bulletin Antieke Beschaving 39, 1964, ZDB -ID 215359-2 , pp. 92-93.
  • Hans Peter Isler : Glandes. Projectiles from the excavations on Monte Iato. In: Archäologischer Anzeiger. 1994, 239-254.
  • Manfred Korfmann : Slingshot and bow in Southwest Asia. From the earliest records to the dawn of the historic city-states. Habelt, Bonn 1972, ISBN 3-7749-1227-0 , ( Antiquita series 3: Treatises on prehistory and early history, on classical and provincial Roman archeology and on the history of antiquity 13), (also: Frankfurt am Main, Univ. , Diss., 1971).
  • GD Stiebel: "... You were the word of war." A sling shot testimony from Israel. In: Journal of Roman Military Equipment Studies. Vol. 8, 1997, ISSN  0961-3684 , pp. 301-307.
  • Thomas Völling: Funditores in the Roman army. In: Saalburg yearbook. Vol. 45, 1990, ISSN  0080-5157 , pp. 24-58.
  • Wieland Wienkämper: New ammunition for an old weapon. Fired clay slingshots. In: Eva Cichy, Jürgen Gaffrey, Manuel Zeiler: Westphalia in the Iron Age. Philipp von Zabern, Darmstadt 2015, ISBN 978-3-8053-4918-5 , pp. 72-73.
  • Karl Zangemeister : Glandes Plumbeae Latine Inscriptae. Instituto Berolini, Rome 1885, ( Ephemeris epigraphica 6, ZDB -ID 216379-2 ).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Strabo 8, 3.
  2. ↑ Pliny, naturalis historia 7, 57.
  3. ^ Bernard M. Henry: La fronde en Italie du VIIè siècle av. JC à l'Empire Romain. (2 vol.) Paris 1971, p. 3.
  4. ↑ Clive Foss: A bullet of Tissaphernes. In: Journal of Hellenic Studies . Vol. 95, 1975, p. 26 f.
  5. ↑ Thucydides 6:22:25:43.
  6. ↑ Clive Foss: A bullet of Tissaphernes. In: Journal of Hellenic Studies. Vol. 95, 1975, pp. 25 ff., Note 12
  7. ↑ Silius Italicus 7, 521 ff.
  8. ^ Caesar , Commentarii de bello Gallico 7, 81, 4.
  9. ↑ Völling 1990, p. 34.
  10. ↑ after Völling 1990, p. 34.
  11. ↑ Bosman 1995, p. 99.
  12. ↑ Article on the Burnswark Hill excavation at Live Science. (engl.)
  13. ↑ Ephraim Stern: Dor, ruler of the seas. Israel Exploration Society, Jerusalem 2000.
  14. ↑ 41/40 BC BC Mark Antony against Octavian . CIL 130-133.
  15. ↑ Pseudo-Caesar, bellum Hispaniense 13.
  16. ↑ In the original text: "Pet [e] culum Octavia [ni]" , CIL I 682, the text parts in square brackets have been added.
  17. ↑ Grünewald, Richter, 2006, pp. 261–269.
  18. ^ Caesar, Commentarii de bello Gallico 5, 43, 1.
  19. ↑ Wienkämper 2015, p. 72.
  20. ↑ Wienkämper 2015, p. 72f.
  21. ↑ Baatz 1990, p. 60 f.
  22. ^ Celsus, De medicina 7. See the following English translation