THE SLING

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• PREFACE.  
- Forgotten weapon.
- Limited literature on the sling.  Reason for book.
- The slings historical significance, and how it shaped the course of history.
- It's significance today.

• ANATOMY OF THE SLING

• PHYSICS OF THE SLING (AND PROJECTILES)

• ORIGINS OF THE SLING
- Where did the sling develop?
- What was the sling used for?
- What other projectile weapons were being used and how did they compare.
- Earliest evidence of use.
- Review of evidence from this era.    

• ANCIENT HISTORY
- Survey the usage of the sling on all the continents.  (Usage in N. America, Africa, etc.)
- Emergence of civilizations; armies.
- (Assyrian/Babylonian/Hebrew/Arab/Egyptian/Rhodian)
- The changing role of the sling.  Hunting and individual defense to instrument of war.  Projectile weapons in concord with melee units.  
- What other projectile weapons were being used and how did they compare?
- Review of evidence from this era.
- Notable military actions with slingers.  

• GREEKS, ROMANS, AND OTHER CONTEMPORY CIVILIZATIONS. (EGYPTIANS?)  

• DARK AND MIDDLE AGES
- Civilization collapses.
- (Saxon, Norman, Celtic, Dacian, Germanic?)
- The sling reverts to it's original role: hunting and limited self defense.  
- Review of evidence from this era.
- Civilization recovers.
- Newer technologies being to displace the sling.
- What other projectile weapons were being used and how did they compare?
- Crusades encounter slings (?)
- Review of evidence from this era.
- Notable military actions with slingers.
 
• THE RENAISSANCE, ENLIGHTENMENT, AND INDUSTRIAL AGE
- Newer technologies displace the sling.  
- What other projectile weapons were being used and how did they compare?
- The time of exploration.  "Modern" western powers encounter the sling. (Aztecs, Incas, Central Pacific, North America).  
- Review of evidence from this era.
- Notable military actions with slingers.

• MODERN
- Spanish Civil war
- Balearic Traditions + many other nations'.
- World War I (II?)
- Palestine
- Today.

• EVOLUTION AND TYPES OF PROJECTILES
- Review historical evidence.
- Explain how projects developed along side the changing role of the sling.  
- Geographical considerations along with usage.

• RELATED WEAPONS TO THE SLING  
- Bolas  
- Staff-sling  
- Cestrosphendon

• SLING TYPES + ROUGH GEOGRAPHICAL DIFFERENCES (MODERN)

• CASTING STYLES

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• REFERENCES

• INDEX

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Please comment and add to this.  We need to develop a good outline before we can begin.  Once we have a good outline, it will make things progress smoothly and quickly.  People can pick a topic they are interested in, research it to death, contacting historians, museums, etc, and write up their little chapter.  Each section shouldn't be more than 3-6 pages from my estimates.  If we all contribute one part, the sum of our work will be an impressive collection of knowledge.  The book would be upwards of 500 pages.  

I think it would be best if each section has someone in charge of it to help coordinate all the people working on the various subjects encompassing it.  That ensures that the text doesn't overlap, and resources are shared.  

So... We are looking for people to adopt sections and topics.  Some people have so much knowledge in particular areas, it's best they apply themselves to that, at least at first.  For instance, Matthias doing the section on the physics of the sling.  

I'd like to hear everyones' ideas.
Chris

500+ pages in just 1 book???.    I much recommend the total work be broken up into Vol I, II, III, etc, so something comes out the end of the pipeline much earlier.      It shouldnt be hard to divide the topics into several vol groupings that make sense.  Then focus all the available manpower on a single vol at a time.

mgreenfield

I just took another look at the outline.  I'm a little confused about the difference in focus between the "Origins of the Sling" section and the "Ancient History" section.  Won't there be a lot of overlap?  "Where did the sling develop" seems a lot like "Survey the usage of the sling for all continents" to me.  Can we clarify the differences, or maybe collapse the sections into one?  I'd hate for folks to duplicate efforts.

Also, how about a section on the sling in literature?  Cuchulain, David & Goliath... or would that just be redundant, since most of the sources for the other papers are likely to be literary?

I was actually wondering if a piece on the sling's role in mythology/theological texts would be appropriate.  I've got no background in history, anthropology, or physics, but I know a little bit about stories.

What would be the chances of get the articles on this website to be in the book? I was thinking this could be a extra bonus section or just intagrated in to the book into the approprate sections.

My idea hasn't really gelled yet, but I can give you my line of thought so far.  I was thinking of the perception of the sling in America, based on comments from friends and associates.  It seems to be viewed as a child's weapon, like a BB gun or slingshot.  I think this perception comes largely from the David & Goliath story most Americans are familiar with, and the (perhaps erroneous) interpretation of this story as 'little boy beats giant.'  Is the sling always represented as a child's toy?  Does it ever serve as a symbol, and, if so, do common themes emerge across cultures?  Was it thought of as a weapon only wielded by the most skillful, or a weapon only used by ill-equipped underdogs?  Like I said, I haven't thought it all the way through yet, and won't until I start the research and see what resources I can find.

If you wanted to write a section on contemporary literature, thats fine.  I just think we have to be careful not to re-describe historical references that will be included as evidence in other section.  Or, at the very least, describe them in a different context and style, as to not duplicate.

Chris

It sounds good, apart from saying "Civilisation recovers" after the dark ages; the saxons, and Germanic tribes were very advanced, their swords being more advanced than even Japanese swords.  That's my ancestors your talking about!
  I think you'd need to have a chapter comparing the sling to other weapons - that would certainly explain any importance it might have had to lots of cultures.  For example, taking Yurek's average throws as being typical, and any archers around with traditional bows (and I mean traditional - not just traditional because it says so and it's made of wood) ranges as typical, you could draw up a table.  That kind of thing.