Catapult-Makers Were Once Ye Olde Celebrities

IOL ^ | 7-5-2004

[blam]

Catapult-makers were once ye olde celebrities

July 05 2004 at 08:24AM

London - Catapult designers were the celebrity scientists of the ancient world, according to a British expert.

Until the discovery of gunpowder, the catapult was the most powerful weapon in existence, said historian Serafina Cuomo. The machines, capable of hurling large projectiles long distances, were in high demand during the time of the ancient Greeks and Romans - and so were their makers.

But the construction of catapults was no easy task, requiring great mathematical and engineering skill.

It became a science in itself, known as "belopoietics" from the Greek "poietike" meaning "making of" and "belos" meaning "projectile" or "projectile throwing device".

Cuomo, from the Centre for the History of Science at Imperial College London, said: "Belopoietics attracted the interest and financial support of governments. It combined geometry, physics, and technology. Ancient engineers saw their knowledge as cumulative and progressive and believed that they were making an important contribution to the welfare of cities and the power of kings and emperors."

The first catapults dated back as far as the Ninth Century BC when they were depicted in a relief from Nimrud, in present day Iraq. In the Forth Century BC they spread rapidly around the Mediterranean, said Cuomo, writing in the journal Science.

The earliest Greek catapult was the "belly bow" - a large bow mounted on a case, one end of which rested on the belly of the person using it. Later the weapon was enlarged and a winch pull-back system added.

The next step was to introduce "springs" - tight bundles of sinews or ropes that were tightly twisted to store enormous power. Eventually trial-and-error gave way to the principle that all parts of a catapult were proportional to the size of the torsion springs. The introduction of proportionality allowed catapult construction to be almost standardised, said Cuomo.

"Tables of specifications were compiled for quick and easy reference," she said.

Advances in catapult design led to Roman stone-throwers capable of hurling projectiles weighing 27kg a distance of 150m. Legendary engines designed by Archimedes were said to have used stones three times heavier.

The engineers saw themselves as an international community and would meet to swap ideas, said Cuomo. She said catapults marked the beginning of a quest for more powerful and accurate ways of firing projectiles against enemies and their cities, "from oversized arrows to Patriot missiles".

She added: "Ancient engineers had a role in society and often an ambivalent relationship with political power. The technology they boasted of may now be obsolete, but their anxieties, their curiosity, and their pride in their knowledge are not - perhaps the people behind the machine have not changed that much." - Sapa-dpa

[blam]

GGG Ping.

[SoCal Pubbie]

The belly bow was basically a cross bow braced by the user's torso. The catapult was also called the mangonel or onager. The really heavy artillery was the trebuchet, which could toss stones up to 400 pounds!

[FairOpinion]

"Until the discovery of gunpowder, the catapult was the most powerful weapon in existence, said historian Serafina Cuomo. The machines, capable of hurling large projectiles long distances, were in high demand during the time of the ancient Greeks and Romans - and so were their makers.

But the construction of catapults was no easy task, requiring great mathematical and engineering skill.

It became a science in itself, known as "belopoietics" from the Greek "poietike" meaning "making of" and "belos" meaning "projectile" or "projectile throwing device".

PING

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[BenLurkin]

"WarWolf" bump

[RightWhale]

Marin Mersenne introduced the science of physics to the world by describing the ballistics of gunpowder cannon shortly after the invention of cannon replaced catapults. While the renaissance had already begun, he hastened the advance of science by acting as liaison between the isolated scientists--including Galileo--of the various kingdoms of Europe. He was one of the central figures of the renaissance, and this due to the catapult. Moveable type, the magnetic compass, and gunpowder--the most important inventions according to Thomas More--made scientists necessary, and it was religious figures such as More and Mersenne that led the way to acceptance of science.

[Grzegorz 246]

"The first catapults dated back as far as the Ninth Century BC when they were depicted in a relief from Nimrud, in present day Iraq."

People living in that region were very clever...but it was long time ago.

[Happygal]

Until the discovery of gunpowder, the catapult was the most powerful weapon in existence

All those buxom wenches, with their decolletage on public display, may beg to differ! *L*

[Larry Lucido]

I'm pretty sure al gore invented the catapault. In fact, he invented one so powerful it could have thrown michael moore 300 meters. Unfortunately, john kerry voted it down (after he voted for it).

[uglybiker]

All those spies disguised as buzom wenches gleaning information by plying their targets with bottles of German reisling....

[Happygal]

Hey! I'm a sucker for a good joust! *L* ;-)

[Straight Vermonter]

For the true catapult/trebuchet geek.

You're not living until you start launching stuff in the back yard. I recommend barrels of flaming fuel oil. LOL!

[AndyJackson]

buzom

I think you mean buxom, but whatever! LOL!

[AndyJackson]

Oooops - just read your tagline.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

Ancient Fire Support ping

[VOA]

She added: "Ancient engineers had a role in society and often an ambivalent relationship
with political power. The technology they boasted of may now be obsolete, but
their anxieties, their curiosity, and their pride in their knowledge are not - perhaps the people behind the machine have not changed
that much."

Nice post-modern journalism.
As I started the article, all I could think was "at least these technologists
didn't have a Nobel Peace Prize there to lure them into being useful idiots.".

But I guess the writer thinks otherwise.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

Greek "Palintone" type Ballista Catapult Engine being prepared for firing

[VOA]

I guess what I really was saying was that the writer just couldn't praise the makers
of these engines of war...
without also trying to make them sound like leftist moral paragons along the lines of
Oppenheimer and Linus Pauling, let alone The Rosenburgs and Gus Hall.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

Non-Gunpowder Artillery

[Cannoneer No. 4]

Warlord Marsallas with an "Onager" style catapult. This type of siege engine was used by the Roman Legions when assaulting walls and fortifications. "Onager" means "wildass" in latin and refers to the kicking action of the machine when it was discharged. It is a simpler and less complex form of the "Ballista" type catapult; which Rome had adopted from the Greeks. It utilizes a large arm powered by one horizontal skein of rope or gut; whereas the Ballista had a more complex "cross-bow" arrangement powered by two vertical skeins.