Hesperia
Ancient Catapults: Some Hypotheses Reexamined
by Duncan B. Campbell
Hesperia, Volume 80, Issue 4
Page(s): 677-700
Stable URL:
Year: 2011
ABSTRACT:
Recent summaries and overviews of the development of ancient catapults have mistaken working hypotheses for established fact. Key areas of misunderstanding include the invention of the catapult, the development of the torsion principle, the meaning of the terms euthytone and palintone, and the possible use of sling bullets as catapult missiles. A critical reexamination of these questions, setting them within the framework of the known facts, reveals the fragility of the accepted history of the catapult, as currently presented in general handbooks.