https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=g2a1rn-eccQ

Little bit of slinging

Very useful examination of evidence linked to Roman tactical camp before hillfort. "Acorns" to "lemons" (they fly the same). One carved stone sling bullet.

What horrible slings. Who was the expert slinger ? Good Lord, they're using an "Achaian" target, with a ring !

Slingers drop shot-- you can use this to find shooting positions, and hence the whole choreography of suppressive fire, assault, and secondary barrage to cut off an escape route from the hillfort the Romans assaulted. Believes in slung "grapeshot", small lead shot with holes.

Watch this !

Putting a comment  to remind myself to come back and watch this.

isn't this the project joerg sprave was involved with ?

The grapeshot thing is all well and good, but there is a size limit beyond which a slung lead sphere just sn't going to do any real damage.

lol luis and his melons.

There is no balearic slinger on the planet who could hit ANYTHING at 100 metres. Hell most couldn't sling that far anyway. I've yet to get any of them to agree to a competition at 30 metres, let alone any further.

If he's putting those through that hoop regularly, I'm impressed.

Bollocks to the dropping ammo. Never done that.

Plus sidearm is actually better for distance than fig8 (what the guy was using).

It's interesting and archaeologists are finally going somewhat in the right direction.

But they still don't get proper experts involved that often.

CA don't they compete at 20 and 30 meters usually? That was the impression I always had anyways.

why acorn shaped lead, wouldn't it be more difficult to make such mold?or throw it with spiral?

nice accuracy with the ring target.

Acorn shape is surely just a makeshift mould . Although I am impressed with the flight of some tree fruit/seeds and can imagine the acorn shape isn't all that bad.

Yeah this is the guy that went to Jorge . I wonder if he would be interested in slingers from here to help out. Seems like every scientist that tries to get data on the sling doesn't use a proficient slinger.

I also thought the shots through the ring looked pretty good

This is a nice talk. I really enjoyed it. 

13:30 german colleague who did ballistics... Does anyone know this source? (possibly frankfurt? 21:26)
15:20 Naming the expert would be nice.
(his first name seems to be Don: https://www.archaeology.co.uk/articles/features/burnswark.htm doesn't show up in the acknowledgements.)
15:40: I'd like to see that at normal speed. It does not look very "fluid". There is a lot of elbow movement but the fast forward might exagerate that.
The slings didn't impress me either.
The hits through the loop are most probably a compilation.
I didn't get what info they obtained or wanted to obtain from the slow motion camera.
15:55 Dropping ammo can result from poor technique and sling construction, but it is nevertheless a good way to find shooting positions. About the exact percentage one can argue. There is still the possibility of ripping ammo bags, not completely closed ammo bags while moving, tumbles, someone bumps into you and so on. And CA, I tell you, under combat stress even you inevitably start to drop and lose things. If you don't trust me, I'll come over and pressure you a little bit in the field (with a stick!)  ;D .

16:50 About the grapeshot I have not yet made up my mind. Whistling is possible/probable.
I like the scatter maps!
28:00 Sprave is mentioned in Acknowledgements. No Don unfortunately...


From a professional viewpoint I miss a couple citations (any publications about that?), but I work in a different field. I guess for the attendees it was clear who and which papers were meant.


The previous year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ4ODrmA6U8

Here is the video from Jorge

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7vJBKfQFD8I

I oresume it was the romans attacking the celts - not sure if it was ever mentioned or if I just missed it.

And the romans used leather pouches - well they've been found in roman remains.
Which would make the scatter gun approach much more feasible.
Leather pouches are far more suited to that kind of thing than a woven pouch.

I believe you teg, when i spent the day with the vikings we did a 'sling at attacking warrior' exercise.
It does throw you.

Cold hands, cold ammo - okay, I'll buy that one :-)

Any chance you can make it to mallorca next year ? I'll bring sockballs, you bring a stick and we can have a play :-)

Curious Aardvark wrote on Dec 5^th, 2017 at 6:56am:

oresume it was the romans attacking the celts - not sure if it was ever mentioned or if I just missed it.

Yes, and the big argument is how. The story changes over the years.



Curious Aardvark wrote on Dec 5^th, 2017 at 6:56am:

Any chance you can make it to mallorca next year ?

Not sure. I'll have to see when the date is out and what work says... Also training is a bit scarce at the moment.

I completely believe that in combat action, even if highly trained, soldiers fumble a lot under stress. Admittedly the parallel the archaeologist had was 7th Cav troopers at Little Big Horn, who were presumably extremely spooked at being cut off by the Dakota braves. 

Quote:

Not sure. I'll have to see when the date is out and what work says... Also training is a bit scarce at the moment. Back to top

date's always the same.
1st mrch to the following sunday.
so realisticall,y fly out on the 28th feb and back the following monday.

training ? lol what's that :-)

Can anyone turn up and compete? Or is there qualifying and things? Flights are cheaper than I thought  :-/

Also found this

https://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/news/170524-ruins-weaponry-scottish-roman-battle-vin