Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!att!cbnews!military
From: gswan@watcgl.waterloo.edu (George Swan)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Roman missiles?
Keywords: siege engines, ballista, balearic isles, romans
Message-ID: <7131@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Date: 5 Jun 89 02:43:31 GMT
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From: gswan@watcgl.waterloo.edu (George Swan)

Jerry Harper asked some questions about roman missiles, namely
what other `missiles' could have been carried by members of the
roman legions, besides various kinds of spears, and where he could
find a description of Roman siege engines.

Scientific American published an article a few years ago on Roman
siege engines.

I suspect that the missiles referred to in the translation he
was reading referred to stones thrown from a sling, like the one
David was supposed to have used on Goliath.  I read a biography
of Hannibal that explained that the Balearic Isles (Minorca and
Majorca) in the Mediterranian, got that name because the inhabitants
were recognized to be mean men with ballista.

Cordially,
Geo Swan