Thearos
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From Moog, we can take away one point: there are very few, perhaps none, examples of skeletons from the Classical world that seem to bear traces of sling-related trauma. However, to conclude, as he does, that sling proj's were mostly for intimidation is probably too much. After all, there are very few skeletons which bear traces of battefield or simply violent trauma at all...
I suppose it might be better to bear in mind the following:
1. Not every sling bullet or stone slung in anger hit someone-- more likely than not, most got lost among the thousands that rained down.
2. Defensive equipment and personal armour will do a lot to reduce the lethality of slingstones, etc. Generally, in ancient texts, people are often spoken of as wounded. I think the consul Paullus was hit, but not killed, by a Balearic slingstone at Cannae; I have a feeling that some commander was wounded by a sling at Thermopylai in 191; during one of the Belgic battles in the Gallic War, one of Caesar's commanders was hit in the mouth by a slingstone (this was discussed by Fundibularius in one of his first posts here).
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