A well-equipped legionary army prepared to lay siege to Pompeii. Among the weapons deployed along the northern stretch of the city walls were battering rams and mobile siege towers equipped with ballistae and scorpions. The impact marks from Republican-era stone balls and dart tips remain visible today between the Vesuvio and Ercolano Gates. In 2002 and 2016, the authors surveyed significant cavities using both direct and indirect methods. The collected data were then used to calculate the volume of fractured stone material. Given the hardness of the wall ashlars, ballistic parameters were quantified based on Hellenistic treatises. The results make it possible to derive dimensions for reconstructing artillery calibrated to the observed effects.
Ancient Science: From Effects to Ballistics Parameters
Adriana Rossi
In corso di stampa
Abstract
A well-equipped legionary army prepared to lay siege to Pompeii. Among the weapons deployed along the northern stretch of the city walls were battering rams and mobile siege towers equipped with ballistae and scorpions. The impact marks from Republican-era stone balls and dart tips remain visible today between the Vesuvio and Ercolano Gates. In 2002 and 2016, the authors surveyed significant cavities using both direct and indirect methods. The collected data were then used to calculate the volume of fractured stone material. Given the hardness of the wall ashlars, ballistic parameters were quantified based on Hellenistic treatises. The results make it possible to derive dimensions for reconstructing artillery calibrated to the observed effects.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
