Quote:About the cestrosphendon:
Livy writes:
"the sling had in the middle two unequal thongs; when the slinger swung and spun it by the strap with an extra effort, the missile, shaken loose, shot out like a ball."
Polybius writes:
The thongs of the sling from which the missile was discharged were of unequal length, and it was so inserted into the loop between them that it was easily freed. There it remained fixed while the thongs were whirled round and taut, but when at the moment of discharge one of the thongs was loosened, it left the loop and was shot like a leaden bullet from a sling,"
Who's design then? Hondero's? Jurek's?
I think Yurek has not followed the Livius text but just invented an ingenious an simple device for throwing darts.
The right translation of Livius text does not refer to two unequal "cords" (different lenght), but two different "pouches". Itīs the latin word "scutalia" that makes the confusion, as some authors translate it like thong and anothers like pouche. I think "scutalia" comes from "scutum" = shield, maybe refering that the shape of the pouce is similar to the scutum.
But in the case of being the right cestrosfendon made by two unequal cords, it apllies also the design I consider right. The design of Yurek has the two cords of equal lenght for the arrow to remain horizontal. If the cords are different in length the dart would be inclined, like itīs the right position (in my opinion) for throwing it appropiately.
Another guess, imaging scutalia means cord, is that the pouch (funda media) has two little unequal cords to fasten the dart and so it would be a design with a dynamic similar to David Engeval sling and dart, but it seems to me very complicated to control.
Well, we need an ancient Greek to tell us the truth of this stuff