Home-made sling.

Home-made sling.

A sling is a projectile weapon typically used to throw a blunt projectile such as a stone. A weapon is a Tool used either in Hunting, or attack or defence in Combat for the purpose of subduing enemy personnel or to destroy enemy weapons A projectile is any object propelled through space by the exertion of a force which ceases after launch It is also known as the shepherd's sling.

A sling has a small cradle or pouch in the middle of two lengths of cord. The sling stone is placed in the pouch. Both cords are held in the hand, then the sling is swung and one of the two cords is released. This frees the projectile to fly in a straight line. It flies on a tangent to the circle that the pouch makes. The sling derives its effectiveness by essentially extending the length of a human arm, thus allowing stones to be thrown several times farther than they could be by hand.

The sling is very inexpensive, and easy to construct. It has historically been used for hunting game and combat. Game is any Animal hunted for Food or not normally domesticated (such as Venison) Today it still interests sportsmen as a survival tool and as an improvised weapon.

The sling in antiquity

Origins

The sling is an ancient weapon, the origin of which is lost in antiquity. It is certain that slings were known to Neolithic peoples around the Mediterranean, but it seems likely that the sling is much older. The Neolithic (from Greek νεολιθικός — neolithikos from νέος neos, "new" + λίθος lithos It is quite possible that the sling was invented during the Upper Paleolithic at a time when new technologies, such as the atlatl and the bow and arrow, were emerging. The Upper Paleolithic (or Upper Palaeolithic) is the third and last subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe Africa An atlatl (from Nahuatl ahtlatl; in English pronounced or) or spear-thrower is a Tool that uses Leverage to achieve greater velocity A bow is a Weapon that projects arrows powered by the elasticity of the bow With the exception of Australia, where spear throwing technology such as the woomera predominated, the sling became common all over the world, although it is not clear whether this occurred because of cultural diffusion or independent invention. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. This is an article about a particle accelerator For uses of spear, see Spear or Spear (disambiguation. Cultural diffusion, as first conceptualized by Alfred L Kroeber in his influential 1940 paper Stimulus Diffusion, or trans-cultural diffusion in later reformulations

Archaeology

Whereas sling-bullets are common finds in the archaeological record, slings themselves are rare. This is because the materials from which slings are made are biodegradable and because slings are low-status weapons that are rarely included in a wealthy person’s grave where preservation might be more probable. Biodegradation is the process by which organic substances are broken down by the enzymes produced by living organisms

There are exceptions. The oldest known extant slings were found in the tomb of Tutankhamen who died about 1325 B.C.. A pair of finely plaited slings were found among a number of other weapons. The sling was probably intended for the departed pharaoh to use for hunting game. Pharaoh is the title given in modern parlance to the ancient Egyptian kings of all periods Game is any Animal hunted for Food or not normally domesticated (such as Venison) Image of sling from the Tomb of Tutankhamen.

Another Egyptian sling was excavated in El-Lahun in Al Fayyum Egypt in 1914 by William Matthew Flinders Petrie and now resides in the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology. Located in the Faiyum, Kahun (كاهون is the workers village of the Pyramid of Senusret II. Faiyum ( Arabic: الفيوم Coptic:) is a city in Middle Egypt and the capital of the Faiyum Governorate. This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. Professor Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie FRS ( 3 June 1853 &ndash 28 July 1942) known as Flinders Petrie, was an The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology in London, England, is run by the Institute of Archaeology, which is part of University College It was found alongside the remains of an iron spearhead and thought by Petrie to date from about 800 BC. The remains are broken into three sections and not quite complete. Although very fragile, the construction is clear: it is made of bast fibre (almost certainly flax) twine; the cords are braided in a 10-strand elliptical sennit and the cradle seems to have been woven from the same lengths of twine used to form the cords. Flax (also known as common flax or linseed) (binomial name Linum usitatissimum) is a member of the genus Linum A braid (also called plait) is a complex structure or pattern formed by intertwining three or more strands of flexible material such as textile fibers wire or human hair Sennit is a kind of flat cordage made by plaiting thinner strands of rope or grass Image of the Lahun sling and reconstruction by Burgess.

Ancient representations

Slingers on Trajan's Column.

Representations of slingers can be found on artifacts from all over the ancient world, including Assyrian and Egyptian reliefs, the columns of Trajan [5] and Marcus Aurelius, on coins and on the Bayeux Tapestry. Early history The most Neolithic site in Assyria is at Tell Hassuna, the center of the Hassuna culture The history of Egypt is the longest continuous history as a unified state of any country in the world Trajan's Column is a Monument in Rome raised in honour of the Roman emperor Trajan and constructed by the architect Apollodorus of Damascus Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus (often referred to as "the wise" ( April 26, 121 – March 17, 180) was Roman Emperor The Bayeux Tapestry (Tapisserie de Bayeux is a 50 cm by 70 m (20 in by 230 ft long embroidered cloth which explains the events leading up to the 1066 Norman invasion of

Written history

The sling is mentioned by Homer [6] and by many other Greek authors. Homer ( Ancient Greek:, Homēros) is a legendary ancient Greek epic Poet, traditionally said to be the author of the epic poems the The historian of the famous retreat of the Ten Thousand, 401 BC, relates that the Greeks suffered severely from the slingers in the army of Artaxerxes II of Persia, while they themselves had neither cavalry nor slingers, and were unable to reach the enemy with their arrows and javelins. The Ten Thousand were a group of Mercenary units mainly Greek, drawn up by Cyrus the Younger to attempt to wrest the throne of the Persian Empire Artaxerxes II Mnemon ( Old Persian: 𐎠𐎼𐎫𐎧𐏁𐏂𐎠 Artaxšaçrā, Ἀρταξέρξης (ca This deficiency was later rectified when a company of 200 Rhodians, who understood the use of leaden sling-bullets, was formed. Rhodes (Ρόδος Ródos, ˈɾo̞ðo̞s Rodi ردوس Rodos; Ladino: Rodi or Rodes) is a Greek island They were able, says Xenophon, to project their missiles twice as far as the Persian slingers, who used large stones. Xenophon (Ancient Greek, Modern Greek "Ξενοφών" "Ξενοφώντας" ca The Persian Empire was a series of Iranian empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the original Persian homeland and beyond in Western Asia ^[1]

Ancient authors seemed to believe, incorrectly, that sling-bullets could penetrate armour, and that lead projectiles, heated by their passage through the air, would melt in flight. ^[2][3] In the first instance, it seems likely that the authors were indicating that slings could cause injury through armour by a percussive effect rather than by penetration. In the latter case we may imagine that they were impressed by the degree of deformation suffered by lead sling-bullet after hitting a hard target. ^[4]

A slinger from the Balearic islands (famous for the skill of its slingers). The Balearic Islands ( Catalan and official Illes Balears; Spanish: Islas Baleares) are an Archipelago in the western Mediterranean

Various ancient peoples enjoyed a reputation for their skill with the sling. Thucydides mentions the Acarnanians and Livy refers to the inhabitants of three Greek cities on the northern coast of the Peloponnesus as expert slingers. Thucydides ( C 460 BC &ndash C 395 BC) ( Greek Θουκυδίδης Thoukydídēs) was a Greek Acarnania is a region of west-central Greece that lies along the Ionian Sea, west of Aetolia, with the Achelous River for a boundary and north Titus Livius (traditionally 59 BC &ndash AD 17 known as Livy in English, was a Roman historian who wrote a monumental history of Rome The Peloponnese or Peloponnesus ( Greek: Πελοπόννησος Pelopónnisos; see also List of Greek place names) is a large Peninsula Livy also mentions the most famous of ancient skillful slingers: the people of the Balearic Islands. The Balearic Islands ( Catalan and official Illes Balears; Spanish: Islas Baleares) are an Archipelago in the western Mediterranean Of these people Strabo writes: And their training in the use of slings used to be such, from childhood up, that they would not so much as give bread to their children unless they first hit it with the sling. Strabo ( Greek: Στράβων 63/64 BC – ca AD 24 was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher. [7]

The late Roman writer Vegetius, in his work De Re Militari, wrote:

Recruits are to be taught the art of throwing stones both with the hand and sling. Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus was a writer of the Later Roman Empire. De Re Militari ( Latin "Concerning Military Matters" is a treatise of Roman warfare and military principles written in the late Roman Empire, The inhabitants of the Balearic Islands are said to have been the inventors of slings, and to have managed them with surprising dexterity, owing to the manner of bringing up their children. The children were not allowed to have their food by their mothers till they had first struck it with their sling. Soldiers, notwithstanding their defensive armour, are often more annoyed by the round stones from the sling than by all the arrows of the enemy. Stones kill without mangling the body, and the contusion is mortal without loss of blood. It is universally known the ancients employed slingers in all their engagements. There is the greater reason for instructing all troops, without exception, in this exercise, as the sling cannot be reckoned any encumbrance, and often is of the greatest service, especially when they are obliged to engage in stony places, to defend a mountain or an eminence, or to repulse an enemy at the attack of a castle or city. [8]

Biblical Accounts of Slings

The sling is mentioned in the Bible, which provides what is believed to be the oldest textual reference to a sling in the Book of Judges, 20:16. Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin Book of Judges ( Hebrew: Sefer Shoftim ספר שופטים is a book of the Bible originally written in Hebrew. This text was thought to have been written about 1000 BC, but refers to alleged events several centuries earlier.

The Bible also provides one of the more famous slinger stories, the battle between David and Goliath from The First Book of Samuel 17, probably written in the 7th or 6th century BC, describing events alleged to have occurred around the 10th century BC. David, Arabic: داوود or داود dawud, "beloved" was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible Goliath ( גָּלְיָת, Standard Hebrew Golyat, Tiberian Hebrew Golyāṯ, Arabic: جالوت Jalut (Muslim The Books of Samuel ( Hebrew: Sefer Sh'muel ספר שמואל are part of the Tanakh (part of Judaism 's Hebrew Bible) and also of The 7th century BC started the first day of 700 BC and ended the last day of 601 BC. The 6th century BC started the first day of 600 BC and ended the last day of 501 BC. In this story, the shepherd David, unarmoured and equipped only with a sling, defeats the warrior champion Goliath with a well aimed shot to the head. The story serves to emphasise two important aspects of the sling: it is a low-status weapon, but in the hands of an expert it is not to be underestimated.

The sling was the weapon of choice for shepherds in the field due to its usefulness for fending off other animals. This fact is reflected in The First Book of Samuel 17:34-36 as David convinces Saul to let him fight Goliath on behalf of the Israelites. The Books of Samuel ( Hebrew: Sefer Sh'muel ספר שמואל are part of the Tanakh (part of Judaism 's Hebrew Bible) and also of Saul (שאול המלך (or Sha'ul) ( Arabic: طالوت,Tālūt ( (reigned 1047 - 1007 BCE is identified in the Books of Samuel, 1 Chronicles Saul must have been convinced of his great skill with the sling for he knows if David is defeated so is the Israelite army. The sling may have been a low-status weapon among the Philistines but it was a perfect weapon for the Israelites for it required little resources and was easily produced. Due to this fact this was a commonly used weapon by the Israelite militia. ^[5] Use of the sling is also mentioned in Second Kings 3:25, First Chronicles 12:2, and Second Chronicles 26:14 to further illustrate Israelite use.

Combat

It is clear that many ancient peoples used the sling in combat and that organised armies included specialist slingers as well as equipping regular soldiers with slings as a back up weapon. As a weapon, the sling had several clear advantages. A weapon is a Tool used either in Hunting, or attack or defence in Combat for the purpose of subduing enemy personnel or to destroy enemy weapons In general, a sling bullet lobbed in a high trajectory can achieve ranges approaching 600m^[6] — significantly farther than what could be achieved by bows in any period, including the famed longbow. To see other senses of this word see Longbow (disambiguation. Arrows were typically loosed along relatively flat trajectories that seldom managed to send them beyond 100 meters. The current Guinness World Record distance of an object thrown with a sling stands at 477. Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records (and in previous U 0 m, set by David Engvall in 1992 using a metal dart. Larry Bray held the previous world record (1982), in which a 52 g stone was thrown 437. 1 m. Modern authorities vary widely in their estimates of the effective range of ancient weapons and of course bows and arrows could also have been used to produce a long-range arcing trajectory, but ancient writers repeatedly stress the sling's advantage of range. The sling was light to carry and cheap to produce; ammunition in the form of stones was readily available and often to be found near the site of battle.

On the other hand, some modern historians have posited that unlike archers, it was probably difficult to deploy slingers in very close formation because each man requires a significant space in the line of battle and slingers cannot easily be deployed in multiple ranks. Historian Arther Ferrill has attempted to contradict this proposition by pointing out that the underhand technique (see "How to Sling" section below) would have allowed a slinger to swing his sling within a space not much larger than one needed by an archer or a comparable missile-armed warrior, and the debate remains largely unresolved to this day. Arther Ferrill, now a professor emeritus of history at the University of Washington at Seattle is also a respected expert on Ancient Rome and Military history There is an overhand slinging technique called 'figure 8' that allows for an accurate and powerful sling throw in a limited space. With a relatively short sling and ideal ammunition fig 8 is good for 300 metres plus. Given that most slingers engaged in battle would have been very experienced in a variety of throwing styles it is extremely likely and possible that slingers were deployed in ranks and while needing a little more room than an archer would not have required so much as to make it impractical. Underhand sling styles tend to be fairly low powered and relatively inaccurate. An archer can easily shoot from behind protection or fortification — including downwards from the top of a wall — whereas a slinger must expose his person to the missiles of the enemy - not true, an experienced slinger could easily arc his stone over any intervening object. A bow is a Weapon that projects arrows powered by the elasticity of the bow An arrow is more likely to penetrate armours or shields due to its sharp point, but a sling could do damage to relatively soft armor (such as quilted cloth) by percussive force without the need to break the surface of the armor itself. An arrow is a pointed Projectile that is shot with a bow. It predates recorded history and is common to most Cultures. Armour (or armor) is protective covering most commonly manufactured from metals to prevent damage from being inflicted to an individual or a vehicle through use of direct contact A shield is a protective device meant to intercept attacks The term often refers to a device that is held in the hand as opposed to Armour or a Bullet proof vest It has been said that to achieve range and accuracy with a sling required a long period of training. However, this is probably no more the case than for the bow, and when the target was a mass formation great accuracy was probably not so essential. This is incorrect - accuracy with a sling is usually only acquired after several years of use - accuracy with a bow can be achieved in a matter of days.

Caches of sling ammunition are frequently found at the sites of Iron Age hill forts of Europe. This article is about the archaeological period known as the Iron Age for the mythological Iron Age see Ages of Man. A hill fort is a fortified refuge or defended settlement 40,000 sling stones were found at Maiden Castle in Southern England. It is proposed that Iron Age hill forts of Europe were designed to maximise the effectiveness of defending slingers.

The hilltop location of the forts would have given the defending slingers the advantage of range over the attackers and multiple concentric ramparts, each higher than the other, would allow a large number of men to create a hailstorm of stone. Consistent with this, it has been noted that, generally, where the natural slope is steep, the defences are narrow and where the slope is less steep, the defences are wider.

Construction

A classic sling is braided from non-elastic material. The classic materials are flax, hemp or wool; those of the Balearic islanders were said to be made from a type of rush. Flax (also known as common flax or linseed) (binomial name Linum usitatissimum) is a member of the genus Linum This article is about the cultivation and uses of industrial hemp not its psychoactive cousin Cannabis (drug. Wool is the fiber derived from the specialized skin cells called follicles of animals in the Caprinae family principally sheep, but the hair of certain species The Juncaceae, or the Rush Family, is a rather small monocot Flowering plant family Flax and hemp resist rotting, but wool is softer and more comfortable.

Braided cords are used in preference to twisted rope because a braid resists twisting when stretched. This improves accuracy.

The overall length of a sling could vary significantly and a slinger may have slings of different lengths, the longer sling being used when greater range is required. A length of about 120 cm (4 ft) would be typical.

At the centre of the sling, a cradle or pouch is constructed. This may be formed by making a wide braid from the same material as the cords or by inserting a piece of a different material such as leather. Leather is a material created through the Tanning of hides and Skins of Animals primarily Cattlehide The Tanning process The cradle is typically diamond shaped and, in use, will fold around the projectile. Some cradles have a hole or slit that allows the material to wrap around the projectile slightly thereby holding it more securely; some cradles take the form of a net.

At the end of one cord, a finger-loop is formed; this cord is called the retention cord. At the end of the other cord it is common practice to form a knot; this cord is called the release cord. The release cord will be held between finger and thumb to be released at just the right moment. The release cord may have a complex braid to add bulk to the end, this makes the knot easier to hold and the extra weight allows the loose end of a discharged sling to be recovered with a flick of the wrist.

Polyester (Dacron (TM)) is an excellent material for modern slings, because it does not rot or stretch and is soft and free of splinters. Polyester is a category of Polymers which contain the Ester Functional group in their main chain

Modern slings are begun by plaiting the cord for the finger loop in the center of a double-length set of cords. The cords are then folded to form the finger-loop. The cords are plaited as a single cord to the pocket. The pocket is then plaited, most simply as another pair of cords, or with flat braids or a woven net. The remainder of the sling is plaited as a single cord, and then finished with a knot. Braided construction resists stretching, and therefore produces an accurate sling.

Ammunition

Sling bullets of baked clay and stone found at Ham Hill Iron Age hill fort. This article is about the archaeological period known as the Iron Age for the mythological Iron Age see Ages of Man. A hill fort is a fortified refuge or defended settlement

Lead sling bullets with a winged thunderbolt engraved on one side and the inscription “take that” on the other side. 4th century BC. From Athens.

The simplest projectile was the humble stone, preferably well-rounded; suitable ammunition may frequently be found in a river. The size of the projectiles can vary dramatically in size from pebbles weighing no more than 50 g (2 oz) to fist-sized stones weighing 500 g (1 lb) or more. This article is about the unit of mass For the unit of force see Pound-force. The pound or pound-mass (abbreviation lb, lbm, or sometimes in the United States #) is a unit of Mass

Projectiles could also be purpose-made from clay; this allowed a very high consistency of size and shape of the shot that would be an aid to range and accuracy. Clay is a naturally occurring material composed primarily of fine-grained Minerals which show plasticity through a variable range of Water content, and Many examples have been found in the archaeological record.

The best ammunition was cast from lead. Characteristics Lead has a dull luster and is a dense, Ductile, very soft highly Leaden sling-bullets were widely used in the Greek and Roman world. For a given mass, lead, being very dense, offers the minimum size and therefore minimum air resistance. In addition, leaden sling-bullets are small and difficult to see in flight.

In some cases, the lead would be cast in a simple open mould made by pushing a finger or thumb into sand and pouring molten metal into the hole. Casting is a manufacturing process by which a liquid material is (usually poured into a mold which However, sling-bullets were more frequently cast in two part moulds. Such sling-bullets come in a number of shapes including an ellipsoidal form closely resembling an acorn - this could be the origin of the Latin word for a leaden sling-bullet: glandes plumbeae (literally leaden acorns) or simply glandes (meaning acorns, singular glans). An ellipsoid is a type of quadric surface that is a higher dimensional analogue of an Ellipse.

Other shapes include spherical and, by far the most common, resembling the shape of the shell of an almond nut - like an American football that has been squashed so that it has an elliptical rather than circular section. The Almond ( Prunus dulcis, syn Prunus amygdalus Batsch Amygdalus communis L American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, is a competitive Team sport known for mixing strategy with This shape is sometimes referred to as biconical, although this really fails to convey the subtlety of the shape.

The ancients do not seem to have taken advantage of the manufacturing process to produce consistent results; leaden sling-bullets vary significantly. The reason why the almond shape was favoured is not clear: it is possible that there is some aerodynamic advantage, but it seems equally likely that there is some more prosaic reason such as the shape being easy to extract from a mould or that it will rest in a sling cradle with little danger of rolling out.

Almond shaped leaden sling-bullets were typically about 35 mm (1 3/8 in) long and about 20 mm (3/4 in) wide weighing approximately 28 g (1 oz). Very often, symbols or writings were moulded into lead sling-bullets. Many examples have been found including a collection of about 80 sling-bullets from the siege of Perusia in Etruria from 41 BC, to be found in the museum of modern Perugia). The ancient Perusia, now Perugia, first appears in history as one of the 12 confederate cities of Etruria. Etruria &mdash usually referred to in Greek and Latin source texts as Tyrrhenia &mdash was a region of Central Italy, located in an area Perugia is the capital City of the region of Umbria in central Italy, near the Tiber river and the capital of the Province of Perugia Examples of symbols include a stylised lightning bolt, a snake, and a scorpion - reminders of how a sling might strike without warning. Writing might include the name of the owning military unit or commander or might be more imaginative: "Take this," "Ouch," and even "For Pompey's backside" added insult to injury, whereas dexa (catch!) is just sarcastic. Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, commonly known as Pompey /'pɑmpi/ Pompey the Great or Pompey the Triumvir ( Classical Latin abbreviation

Julius Caesar writes about clay shot being heated before slinging, so that it might set light to thatch.

The sling in medieval period

Europe

By the Middle Ages the shepherd's sling was largely militarily extinct. The staff sling continued to be used in sieges and the sling was used as a part of large siege engines.

The sling continued in use for the hunting of game.

The Americas

A South American sling made of alpaca hair

The sling was known throughout the Americas. The Alpaca ( Vicugna pacos) is a domesticated species of South American Camelid. ^[7]

In the ancient Andean civilizations such as Inca Empire slings were made from the wool of the Llama. The Inca Empire (or Inka Empire) was the largest empire in Pre-Columbian America. The llama ( Lama glama) is a South American Camelid, widely used as a Pack animal by the Incas and other natives of the Andes These slings typically have a cradle that is long and thin and features a relatively long slit. Andean slings were constructed from contrasting colours of wool; complex braids and fine workmanship result in beautiful patterns. Ceremonial slings were also made; these were large, non-functional and generally lacked a slit. To this day, ceremonial slings are used in parts of the Andes as accessories in dances and in mock battles. They are also used by llama herders; the animals will move away from the thump of a stone. The stones are not slung to hit the animals, but to persuade them to move in the desired direction.

The sling was used for hunting and warfare. One notable use was in Incan resistance against the conquistadores. This article is about the Spanish explorer soldiers of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuriesfor other uses see Conquistador (disambiguation A Conquistador These slings were apparently very powerful; in 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus, historian Charles C. Mann quoted a conquistador, who said that an Incan sling "could break a sword in two pieces" and "kill a horse"^[8] However, they were usually ineffective against conquistadores in plate armour. Charles C Mann (fl 2000s is an American journalist and author specializing in scientific topics

Variants

Staff sling

The staff sling, also known as the stave sling, consists of a stave (a length of wood) with a short sling at one end. For other uses of the word staff see Staff. A staff is a large thick Stick or stick-shaped object used to help with Walking Wood is hard fibrous lignified structural tissue produced as secondary Xylem in the stems of Woody plants notably trees but also shrubs One cord of the sling is firmly attached to the stave and the other end has a loop that can slide off and release the projectile. Staff slings are extremely powerful because the stave can be made as long as two meters, creating a powerful lever. Ancient art shows slingers holding staff slings by one end, with the pocket behind them, and using both hands to throw the staves forward over their heads.

The staff sling has a shorter range than the shepherd's sling, is less accurate and requires two hands so the user could not carry a shield. A shield is a protective device meant to intercept attacks The term often refers to a device that is held in the hand as opposed to Armour or a Bullet proof vest It was generally used to throw heavy projectiles. Staff slings were good siege weapons because masses of stone could be launched at fortified locations at a high-arcing angle.

The French word is fustibale.

Kestros

The kestros (also known as the kestrosphendone, cestrus or cestrosphendone) is an intriguing sling weapon mentioned by Livy and Polybius. It has been suggested that material from Sling (weapon be incorporated into this article inasmuch as the section about the kestros in Sling (weapon has significantly It seems to have been a heavy dart flung from a leather sling. Darts are missile Weapons designed to fly such that a sharp often weighted point will strike first It was invented in 168 BC and was employed by some of the Macedonian troops of King Perseus in Third Macedonian war. Macedon or Macedonia ( Greek grc Μακεδονία grc-Latn Makedonía) was the name of a kingdom centered in the northern-most The Third Macedonian War ( 171 BC - 168 BC) was a war fought between Rome and King Perseus of Macedon.

Catapults

The onager is a torsion powered siege engine which uses the energy stored in a mass of twisted ropes and releasing it in one quick motion to rotate what was, essentially, a staff sling. The onager was a post-classical Roman Siege engine, which derived its name from the kicking action of the machine similar to that of an Onager (wild ass

The trebuchet is a gravity powered siege engine which uses the energy stored in a raised weight to rotate what was, again, a staff sling. A trebuchet or trebucket is a Siege engine that was employed in the Middle Ages either to smash Masonry Walls or to throw It was designed so that, when the throwing arm of the trebuchet had swung forward sufficiently, one end of the sling would automatically become detached and release the projectile. Some trebuchets were small and operated by a very small crew; however, unlike the onager, it was possible to build the trebuchet on a gigantic scale: such giants could hurl enormous rocks at huge ranges. Trebuchets are, in essence, mechanised slings.

Slings today

The sling is used today as a weapon primarily by violent protestors, launching either stones or incendiary devices, such as Molotov cocktails. The Molotov cocktail, also known as the booze bomb, alcohol bomb or Molotov bomb, is a generic name used for a variety of improvised incendiary International Brigades used slings to throw grenades during the Spanish Civil War. The International Brigades were Republican Military units in the Spanish Civil War, formed of many non-state sponsored volunteers of different countries The Spanish Civil War was a major conflict in Spain that started after an attempted Coup d'état committed by parts of the army against the government of Similarly, the Finns made use of sling-launched Molotov cocktails in the Winter War against Soviet tanks. Finland, officially the Republic of Finland ( is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. The Winter War (Talvisota Советско-финляндская война - official Зимняя война - unofficial Vinterkriget began when the The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Slings have been used in the 2008 disturbances in Kenya. ^[9][10]

The sling is of interest to athletes interested in, for example, breaking distance records. The best modern material is a polyester twine (trade name Dacron). Polyester is a category of Polymers which contain the Ester Functional group in their main chain Uses PET can be semi-rigid to rigid depending on its thickness and is very lightweight Dacron is strong, smooth, immune to moisture and never rots.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the current record for the greatest distance achieved in hurling an object from a sling is: 477. Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records (and in previous U 10 m (1565 ft 4 in), using a 127 cm (50 in) long sling and a 62 g (2. 12 oz) dart. This was achieved by David Engvall at Baldwin Lake, California, USA on 13 September 1992. Events 509 BC - The Temple of Jupiter on Rome 's Capitoline Hill is dedicated on the ides of September Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) Those of a more traditional bent may prefer the Guinness record for slinging a stone: 437. 10 m (1434 ft 2 in), using a 129. 5 cm (51 in) long sling and a 52 g (1. 8 oz) ovoid stone, set by Larry Bray in Loa, Utah, USA on 21 August 1981. Events 1192 - Minamoto Yoritomo becomes Seii Tai Shōgun and the De facto ruler of Japan. Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981

The principles of the sling may find use on a larger scale in the future; proposals exist for tether propulsion of spacecraft, which functionally is an oversized sling to propel a spaceship. Tether propulsion systems are proposals to use long very strong cables (known as Tethers to change the velocity of Spacecraft.

How to sling

A Tibetan girl slings a small rock towards a herd of goats.

For a conventional throw, one does not make multiple rotations of the sling, a proper slinging action requires just one rapid rotation. The more times you swing it, the less likely it is that you'll hit your target.

(Some slingers will rotate the sling slowly once or twice to seat the projectile in the cradle. )

One makes an overhand throw, using the sling to extend one's arm. The motion is similar to bowling a cricket ball. This is relatively accurate, instinctive and quite powerful. One faces 60 degrees away from the target, with one's weak hand closest to the target. The coordinated motion is to move every part of the body, legs, waist, shoulders, arms, elbows and wrist in the direction of the pocket in order to add as much speed as possible to the stone. One releases the projectile near the top of the swing, where the projectile will proceed roughly parallel to the surface of the earth.

Another method of release said to be favoured by slingers firing into grouped or massed targets is an underhand throw. The motion is similar to that of throwing a softball. The trajectory arc is relatively high. The thrower stands 60 degrees away from the target, and takes one step forward from the trailing foot, letting the sling swing forward. Range is said to be increased with this method, sacrificing accuracy. Several historians have conjectured that this was the most commonly used method in ancient warfare due to its practicality.

There are also sideways releases, in which the swing goes around. These throws make it very easy to miss the target by releasing the projectile at a slightly wrong time. Other slinging methods can be seen, but many authorities deprecate them.

The clumsiest part of using a shepherd's sling is to regain control of the release cord. Conventionally, the loop of the retention cord is placed around a finger of the strong hand. Several projectiles may be held in the weak hand. After the release, an expert will continue the motion. The cradle will catch around a stone held out with the weak hand, so that the end of the release cord swings back to the strong hand retaining the loop. Just after the knot begins to swing, slightly before the knot reaches the strong hand, one drops or throws the projectile toward the ground with the weak hand, starting into the next release. Some persons braid the end of the release cord around a weight to help perform this manoeuvre. With this method, a skillful user can throw an aimed stone every few seconds in a cyclic coordinated movement, until the weak hand is empty.

Footnotes

See also

• Atlatl
• Swiss arrow

Further reading

• Burgess, E. An atlatl (from Nahuatl ahtlatl; in English pronounced or) or spear-thrower is a Tool that uses Leverage to achieve greater velocity A Swiss arrow, more commonly called a Dutch arrow, but also a Yorkshire arrow, or a Gypsy arrow is similar to a standard Martin, "An Ancient Egyptian Sling Reconstructed", Journal of the Arms and Armour Society, 2. 10 (June 1958), pp. 226-30
• Dohrenwend, Robert, "The Sling. Forgotten Firepower of Antiquity", Journal of Asian Martial Arts, Vol. 11, No. 2 (2002), pp. 28-49
• Richardson, Thom, "The Ballistics of the Sling", Royal Armouries Yearbook, Vol. 3 (1998)

External links

• Slinging.org resources for slinging enthusiasts.
• Sling Weapons The Evolution of Sling Weapons
• The Sling - Ancient Weapon
• Sports and Pastimes of the People of England, Joseph Strutt, 1903.
• Funda, William Smith, A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities.