Carroballista
A hitherto unknown type of Roman siege
machine, used from the 1st century onwards; pieces of such machines
have long been known, but previously incorrectly reconstructed: however, now,
thanks to Michael Lewis, we know that the swing-arms moved inside the frame,
meaning a stronger and more efficient cast. Painted for Current World Archaeology
The caroballista: a powerful descendent of the Roman ballistae and catapultae. This two-man example is being used at some point in the
Dacian War. It shoots heavy bolts, and is an extremely powerful weapon, thanks
to the wide sweep of the arms, which transmit a huge amount of stored
spring-energy to the ammunition. The sinew-loaded spring frames are made of
iron, and have tough leather covers to protect them from enemy fire- and the
weather. The machine is mounted on a universal joint, atop a stand, and can be
pointed in any direction. To shoot, one man turns the windlass to draw back the
slider and rope, while his crew-mate holds it steady, and places a bolt on the
slider; he then holds the tiller and aims, while the first pulls the
trigger-bar. The whole weapon is light enough for its two-man crew to move it
around and load it onto a cart when the division has to move; in this way, it
is the equivalent of a WW2 Bren-gun.