Sarosh wrote on Oct 14
th, 2020 at 2:44am:
the cultures with the best marketing/public relations of the time that got to be written in books.
And for that reason I think it the best to take note of the skills of slinging cultures when their unique abilities are compared to other slinging cultures. Say, anyone could write that Greek slingers could hit an ant at a distance of 2000000 kilometres with a rock the size of a mountain. Instead I find highlighting the specific skills of a certain culture compared to another a much better indication of the actual skill set of that culture. Also I find it unlikely that any slinging culture was objectively better than any other.
PR still played a role for certain but it makes at least a little more sense.
Thearos wrote on Oct 15
th, 2020 at 12:45am:
There are various ethnic groups in the "Classical" (anc Med) world mentioned as slingers: Baleares (attested from C4th to C1st BCE), Rhodians (only attested once, in 400 BCE), Achaians (attested C2nd BCE), Akarnanians (429 BCE). The most famous and consistently celebrated are the Baleares. But it's like a very widespread skill in the ancient world (notably for hunting and herding).
Sarosh wrote on Oct 14
th, 2020 at 2:44am:
I believe stone age and bronze age had a lot of slinger-raider cultures we just dont have writtings.
I think that slinging existed in almost all cultures but it was often looked down upon as a peasants weapon (for obvious reasons) so for example the Romans didn't care too much to train slingers to a professional level.