Romans Used Ancient Greek “Machine Gun” During Siege Of Pompeii, New Study Suggests

A modern reconstruction of the repeating “polybolos” catapult of Dionysius of Alexandria. Credit: Aga39memnon / CC BY 4.0

A caller survey suggests the Roman siege of Pompeii whitethorn person progressive an past repeating weapon, a benignant of early “machine gun” linked to Rhodes, based connected antithetic marks inactive disposable connected the city’s bluish walls.

The study, published successful Heritage, argues that clusters of small, square-shaped interaction marks astatine Pompeii lucifer past descriptions of the “polybolos,” a repeating dart-thrower described by Philo of Byzantium successful the 3rd period B.C. Lead writer Adriana Rossi of the University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli said the signifier of the harm offers caller enactment for that idea.

The marks prevarication betwixt the Vesuvio and Ercolano gates, an exposed agelong of Pompeii’s defenses that Roman forces nether Lucius Cornelius Sulla attacked during the siege of 89 B.C.

Researchers said the area’s past makes the traces particularly important. The partition conception was buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius successful A.D. 79, helping sphere harm that whitethorn day to the Republican-era assault.

Pompeii onslaught marks an past Greek “machine gun” from Rhodes

Earlier studies focused chiefly connected larger, circular interaction marks caused by chromatic projectiles. Rossi and her squad turned to a antithetic acceptable of traces. These are smaller cavities with a much angular shape. In respective cases, they look successful fan-like groups, spaced intimately on a curved line.

That signifier stands out, the survey said, due to the fact that it does not lucifer harm from chromatic balls oregon sling bullets. Instead, researchers compared it with Philo’s relationship of the polybolos, a limb that fired darts successful accelerated sequence.

Marks of the Sullan bombardment, Pompeii. Credit: Adriana Rossi / Open Access

In his description, the shots did not dispersed widely. They fell adjacent unneurotic on a constrictive curved way aimed astatine a azygous target.

Researchers utilized high-resolution integer tools to analyse the marks, including 3D survey methods, photogrammetry and reverse modeling.

The extremity was to measurement the cavities successful item and trial what benignant of projectile could person made them. The squad said the size, signifier and spacing of the marks are accordant with metal-tipped darts alternatively than circular chromatic ammunition.

Fan-shaped partition strikes fortify the dart-thrower theory

The survey does not assertion last proof. No carnal remains of the limb were recovered astatine Pompeii, and nary arrowheads person been recovered from the wall. Researchers said centuries of weathering, repairs and volcanic deposits person altered the archetypal surface. Even so, they reason the grounds is beardown capable to enactment the polybolos arsenic a moving hypothesis.

The Rhodian nexus adds humanities context. Philo attributed the limb to Dionysius of Alexandria, who built it successful Rhodes, a halfway known successful antiquity for subject engineering and artillery expertise. The survey said that the transportation makes the Pompeii script much plausible, particularly fixed the wider subject contacts of the period.

Rossi’s squad said the findings could reshape however scholars presumption the siege of Pompeii. Rather than relying lone connected modular artillery, Roman forces whitethorn person utilized a much precocious repeating limb to people defenders moving on the walls.