J. B. Finney, Middle Iron Age Warfare of the Hillfort Dominated Zone c. 400 BC to c. 150 BC, 2006.

Just read this thesis
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=SF-BAAAAMAAJ&q=bryant+finney+jon+middle+age&d...

Quick summary--

Main argument.
Celtic hillforts of middle iron age Britain do not reflect a warrior society (status differentiation, heroic style, profit seeking, expansion: sword and bow societies), but a more inclusive, communitarian model-- sling societies, with spear playing a liminal role. The sling is inclusive, allows popular, community participation; the slingstone is not a made artifact, but a "shared" artifact; it does not allow for heroics, but for community defence. M.i.a society may have been centred around great hillforts which played important roles in structuring ritual warfare (as found btw Andean communities).

Evidence: concentration of slingstones in hillforts. No evidence for archery. No evidence for the Celtic sword so important in later societies.

Appendices:

llist of all sites with slingstones deposits in hillfort Britain

experiments using a woollen Bolivian sling (Rockman-style woven slit pouch, so tight as to practically be a closed pouch). Style adopted: underhand (alas-- why do Celtic-focussed guys always go for that style). On beach, with dyed stones.
Average velocities: 25.38 m/s (highest 36 m/s). Measured by timing release and fall.
Distances: max 102m, min38.2, mean 56m, using stones around 50-60 gr.
Calculations show that drag has very little effect on velocity
Calculations to show horizontal distances reached by firing from elevated positions (e.g. hillfort earthworks).

Same experiments for throwing spear

Money quote: p. 64
The sling is a complex piece of textile technology and as such, can be remarkably difficult to produce...The sling is a not a simple weapon. an artefact that allows stone to be caset over distances exceeding 80 m, at speeds in excess of 100 kmph has to be manifactured to high, albeit traditional, specifications

just Finney on the beach with his sling !

Thearos wrote on May 19^th, 2010 at 8:26pm:

Thanks! I've read enough to realise that now.

I was pleased to see all those tables of data, as well as some analysis of the physics.

I believe his numerical value of the Reynolds number (Re) on p187 is significantly overestimated through a numerical error, and this modifies the conclusions he reaches.

The gory details of drag coefficients he does not really address (I can't blame him, it's not a thesis in aeoronautical engineering!) so I don't feel the conclusion that air resistance can be neglected is made.

There is some excellent discussion on this matter from the early days of the forum, particularly in postings by Hondero. The easiest way to locate most of these is to search for 'Achenbach' in the Goliath section (all posts), but here is an entry point:
http://slinging.org/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1091676756/31#31

Pretty poor results all round, I'd say. The lack of evidence for archery during that period in Britain is striking though, there is plenty in the neolithic and early bronze age.

Here's a drawing-- I assume taken from photos of Finney slinging. Not a great style, I fear (the release is not good)

Most slinging cultures do go for complex woven slings. This must especially be true when there is no off the shelf paracord: you might as well what is in effect your own rope for slinging purposes, and custom build pouch, release, retention loop.

just bear in mind that many ancient slings have been found through graverob.. uh, archealogists digging up graves. So most of these will be grave goods - naturally the best the dead persons family could make or afford.

But you're not telling me that a kid herding sheep would not be able to knock up a quick and simple sling out of whatever materials he had to hand.

The vast majority of everyday slings would have been quick and easy affairs. Not necessarily well built enough to survive till the graverob..(must get that one right) historians dig em up.

There are plenty of leather sling pouces in museums around the world, many were founf without cords.
Surely indication that a basic learther pouch and cord sling was well used.
And no it doesn't have to be paracord.
making cord was one of the really basic and core primitive skills, reeds, grasses, bark, seaweed - it's all been used.
Cord was easy to come by - a good leather pouch maybe not so. makes sense you'd keep the pouch and adjust cords as you either grew or got more experienced or used the sling for different purposes. This is pretty much how I work today.
It just makes sense.

Slings were a very widely used and key tool. You'd probaly have a fancy owven piece for best and several workaday slings for everything else. only the fancy ones are likely to have survived till the grave robbers dug them up

To put it slightly differently: take instances of "slinging cultures" for which we actually have some information, ancient or modern. Do they make braided slings, or leather and cup slings ?

I postulate (but am willing to be shown wrong) that most go for braiding. I think there's another thread somewhere re. why braided slings. I suppose the answer is: less stretching than what you get with leather; braiding is the way in which you make rope anyway, so you might as well braid the rope that will make the sling.

Braided slings (or woven)
Cortaillod
Ancient Egypt
Baleares
Modern Andes
Southern Turkey
Rhodes
Etruscan sling on Tomba dei relievi
African examples in Pitt Rivers Museum (weapons section reopened)
Polynesia


Leather and cup
Scandinavia ?
Roman example  ?(Vindonissa, Vindolanda ?)