If Livy is only referring to the cradle then why are we interpreting him as calling a split cradle a single strap when it is actually not a single strap but a double?
And obviously "single strap" cradles are extremely secure as well, if they are wide enough. They don't cause more or less randomness than 2 or 3 strands. But regardless, again, he's not comparing two to three, he's comparing one to three. One strap to three thongs more specifically.
The information I recall on the old Balearic slings was that they featured multiple parallel straps for the cradle. Much more than 2 or 3. These may or may not have been joined at intervals by trading strands. If anyone wants to weigh in on that with better information, go ahead, but obviously these days the Balearic slings are not a single strap cradle but a double strap cradle on a single strap sling. They always used natural plant materials, which lends itself to these designs.
So the Balearic slings wouldn't fit with what Livy is saying in terms of "single strap" if he is only referring to the cradle. He must be referring to the whole sling, in which case the number of strands forming the cradle is irrelevant. But if he's referring to the whole sling instead of just the cradle, then what does he mean?
In terms of stability, 3 cradle strands would be inherently less stable than 2 or 1, since the center strand may not be on the correct curve to fit the stone, causing it to flip to one side of the cradle or other. Two points are on the same curve if the curve is big enough so a split cradle is ideal where a solid pouch is not used.
Split cradles only allow stones to release through the hole if the stone is smaller than the size the sling is suited for. This is certainly not an issue even worth mentioning for Livy since no skilled slinger or sling maker would ever have this issue at all with any sling. I've never had that issue since I was a beginner experimenting, and Livy would not mention it because it's a non-issue for military forces. It's an issue for little boys playing in the field and that's about it.
It's doubtful that all the nations had poorly constructed slings but only one figured out how to make a secure cradle.... A split cradle is really ideal on a regular sling. I've braided a lot of Andean slings and never have problems with stones slipping through them.
I'm not looking for the Holy Grail, I'm merely trying to interpret what Livy said, since he had some fairly extensive information on these slings and slingers and how they trained, etc....
I have come up with a useful sling design that fits with what he said very literally. I was hoping someone else would catch onto what he appears to be saying. When piecing the past together it pays to pay very careful attention to the text and not gloss over it because we haven't made sense of it easily. Sometimes ancient texts are difficult to work with, but I've always found that I should look more deeply at the text, not less so, when things don't quite make sense. I think it's obvious that Livy is describing a sling that is entirely unique in design.
Quote:This prevented the bullet from flying off at random when the thong was let go;
Again, the issue Livy seems to be addressing is that all normal slings delay on release at the precise moment that the thong is let go, creating some slight randomness in the release of the stone, which disturbs accuracy, even if the slinger isn't random himself in his skills. Note that he doesn't complain that slingers release their cords randomly but rather that slings release bullets randomly at the moment when the cord is let go. This is a huge distinction. I do not think he means that sling stones were flying everywhere but only that accuracy was diminished.
Any thoughtful and experienced slinger knows that this delay between release of cord and release of stone is dependent on stone weight, texture, size, sling stiffness, material, design, etc..., and maybe even humidity and the twist in the sling or angle of the cradle in relation to the target as release occurs. With these ingredients being imperfect, even if slightly so, accuracy is a challenge without consistent stones, slings, and conditions. But stones aren't consistent and neither is slinging with traditional slings.
The Achean sling seems to largely (but not totally) overcome this deficiency so that the stones are released as if from the string of a bow, allowing a skilled slinger to have more consistent accuracy than with all other slings, with practice, of course. In sort, the Achean design, though only used by only one nation, was demonstrably more accurate than all of it's single strap cousins the rest of the world over. I'm sure that the single strap cousins were telling the Acheans that their slings weren't slings, but the proof is in the damage they could do to their opponents faces.
To think that the striking uniqueness of the Achean sling is merely the addition of an extra cord in the cradle is too far fetched for me and too much of a cut on the other nations and their slingers. No, this was a new design entirely.
Anyone want to have a final crack at reading the text and taking Livy literally to see where what he's saying might lead? That's all I'm doing and it's how I came up with this sling design. I didn't invent it, I built it after thinking through what Livy was saying.
I can think of 3 or 4 different ways to do what I'm doing and I don't know exactly which one the Acheans used, but they all share the quality of a more instantaneous release between cord and stone, and they all basically fit with the description that Livy gave of the Achean slings.
And of course I could be wrong, but then Livy accidentally helped me invent something new and useful by my wild imaginations being triggered by what what he wrote. That would be hilarious as well. I have learned that historians and scientists are often very poor at understanding ancient weapons and tools compared to experimental archaelogists who recreate these items and use them in the field.
Ben
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