You are viewing a single thread.
View all comments
21 points

What’s the distance on those things?

permalink
report
reply
26 points

Over 300 meters. Truly the superior siege engine.

permalink
report
parent
reply
5 points

But I still love the Ballista.

I’ve made several over the years for demonstrations using a couple 2x4s, 2 oak dowels, a steel rod, and nylon rope that’ll hurl a “bolt” (tube used to separate clubs in a golf bag with a tennis ball on one end) 400 yards.

They’re just fun.

permalink
report
parent
reply
8 points

Depends on the mass of the projectile, and how the throwing arm is tuned.

If its release is tuned for distance and they’re flinging period-accurate projectiles, tuned firmly distance a typical period tree could throw stones about 300 meters.

Depending on the kind of fortifications they were against (and if they had siege engines of their own, or other artillery- bow and arrows, whatever) they might set up a little closer and tune instead for more forward velocity rather than range.

The typical mass was about 200-300 kilograms, or a small sedan. You could go heavier, but that typically reduced range.

permalink
report
parent
reply
6 points
*

200-300 kilograms, or a small sedan

A small sedan weighs about four times as much as that

permalink
report
parent
reply
1 point
*

Get out of here with your facts.

(for what it’s worth, a reliant robin was about 450 kilo curb weight. I’m sure we can find a car that weighs in the range.)

permalink
report
parent
reply
4 points

“They would have been pulled up to a castle, maybe 200-300m away and they could have launched rocks, boulders and flaming boulders into castles,”…

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-65099834.amp

permalink
report
parent
reply
3 points

And cheese my cows. They could launch cows as well.

permalink
report
parent
reply
0 points

search YouTube “punkin chunkin”

permalink
report
parent
reply
-1 points

1000 meters easy.

permalink
report
parent
reply

Science Memes

!science_memes@mander.xyz

Create post

Welcome to c/science_memes @ Mander.xyz!

A place for majestic STEMLORD peacocking, as well as memes about the realities of working in a lab.



Rules

  1. Don’t throw mud. Behave like an intellectual and remember the human.
  2. Keep it rooted (on topic).
  3. No spam.
  4. Infographics welcome, get schooled.

This is a science community. We use the Dawkins definition of meme.



Research Committee

Other Mander Communities

Science and Research

Biology and Life Sciences

Physical Sciences

Humanities and Social Sciences

Practical and Applied Sciences

Memes

Miscellaneous

Community stats

  • 12K

    Monthly active users

  • 2.9K

    Posts

  • 42K

    Comments