RomanArmyTalk

Has anyone made a Fustibalus, Staff Sling?
Can you share your experiences?
When did the Romans start using these?
Veg talks about them in the 4th century, but wasn't he hearkening back to the "good old days?"
Is it possible to form tighter formations with staff slingers than you can with the hand held swung variety?
Thanks.

I get alot of use out of my staff sling, and practice with it regularly on the beach. My 6 year old son made one too (with my help).

I love it. My slinging page is here at: www.geocities.com/zozergames/sling.html

Vegetius mentions it - I'm not sure of any earlier incidents, though Duncan Head has it in his ARMIES OF THE PUNIC WARS book (forgive me if I misquote that book's name) as a Mcedonian/Greek weapon for casting darts. He calls it a cestrosphendone, which was a leather sling, and he's mounted it on a staff. Very plausible, actually. Comitatus throw plumbatae this way with very impressive results indeed.
Paul Elliott/Caius Fortunatus

3rd Century Auxiliary (Cohors Quinta Gallorum)

4th Century Legionnary (Comitatus)

www.geocities.com/zozergames/interactive.html

Great page on slinging, the coast looks familiar, lookes like Thanet to me, maybe Dover area, where abouts do you do your slinging is it on the planet Thanet or else where in the country.

Regards Kormanus

No, no - its East Yorkshire, Flamborough Head. I used to live in Canterbury a few years ago, though, and spent lots of time at Reculver, Richborough, Dover Castle. In fact I'm going back there for a holiday in a couple of months

Quote:though Duncan Head has it in his ARMIES OF THE PUNIC WARS book (forgive me if I misquote that book's name) as a Mcedonian/Greek weapon for casting darts. He calls it a cestrosphendone, which was a leather sling, and he's mounted it on a staff.

Does the book actually show the dart rigged into a staff sling? I ask because I recall a long time ago that I browsed a book by Duncan Head that showed a little drawing of just the dart itself, the suggestion that it may have been thrown with a staff sling made in the caption.

Apollyon,

Please write your real (first) name in your signature. it's a forum rule.

Here you go.

Here is one at use, from the webpage of COHORS PRIMA GALLICA:

I do'nt know if this will be of any help but the photo is of a member of Roma Antiqua,they hav'nt got a site up and running as yet but i'm in touch with them so if anyone is interested i can act as a third party,as it were .

I thought we had a video somewhere, not only a pic. :?

Probably there may be some more photos in our gallery, but I cannot find any with the thing in sight :x

My experience is that against the sling, the range is increased, and the basic accuracy (aiming) is easier, something like the bow, a vertical line, and the projectile will hit somewhere further or closer, but the problem is finding the correct wrist movement to match the target altitude.

It´s much easier to learn to use (in half a minute), and if accuracy is not important, quite agood weapon. And the caliber of the ammo it´s the same as the sling :lol:

Maybe its an idea to try http://slinging.org/ ? There's loads of information on that website and the attached forum. The research quality is at a high level. It's a kind of RAT, but for all things slinging.
This is a link to one of the articles in the "Other topic" section on the main page: http://slinging.org/index.php?page=staf ... olas-lloyd

Edit: Oh, I see Mithras already links this site within his personal site. Well, I'll just leave it as it is.

Regards,

HHornblower

Accordingly to Vegetius all soldiers were given basic training with the sling. While slings can be constructed from hair or plant fibres, leather such as the find from Vindolanda is an easier option. This sling consists of a pouch 100mm long, with cords of around 600mm or armpit to fingers. Rocks and pebbles can provide ammunition, while longer distances and greater consistency is possible with specially cast lead shot, glandes, of 50-70g which can penetrate even bone. The lead bullets require smaller sling pouches, which in turn create less drag. A bullet can be roughly cast just using a thumb in-print in the ground. It takes practice to use the weapon, either swinging the sling overhead, over-arm or under-arm. With practice it is possible to be accurate at 40m, and to get the bullet to travel around 80m in any given direction.

However the staff sling, or fundibulus, is a much easier weapon to use. No more than a sling mounted on a pole. A new recruit would speedily understand how to cast a missile along any given axis. However judging the distance would take greater practice. In effect this acts as a man portable artillery piece, with the power to shoot over the heads of several ranks of infantry. Vegetius suggests the slinger should practice at a range of 177m. With a lead bullet this is feasible, although hitting a single man would prove difficult. The sling can match the range of the bow, and deliver a missile that cannot be followed in flight by the eye, or dodged. It is also less affected by crosswinds. The projectory of the bullet can be altered by altering the length of the cords, and by “forcing” the slinging motion. A forced cast will flatten the projectory. The shot may in fact “bounce” along the ground hitting more than one target. An easy casting motion gives the bullet a high trajectory and greater distance.

I now have all the ingredients, My Roman kit, A long beach, A sling, A couple of types of ammunition.

I have tested her over a grass patch with a tennis ball (due to houses on all sides I could not use my copper piping as I do not want to damage anything (the locals do not like broken windows, bemuses me).

So far I have reached 57 feet.

I will attempt to pack the copper piping (currentely hollow) with some sort of incedury which I can test on the beach (Northern Scotland, so there will be no one around)

I do not know if you agree but the reason I am testing this in my Roman Uniform (minus Chain) is that it will restrict my movements in different ways to modern clothing such as leg movement to add power.

I have decided to do this without chain as (please do correct me) *chain was worn by the richer side of the late Roman army such being a combatant with maybe a sword and shield over what would appear a cheap sling. (a swrod will cost me in the region of 200-300 pounds - the sling cost me about 6 pound).

Secondly I would have thought chain will make it harder to sling and wear the user out quicker, plus a slinger would not go in for close combat as they may not be rich enough to have a sword aswell and if they where *. IF they where to carry a sword this would also change the balance of the body making it harder to sling and so I believe a slinger would not perform in close comabr unless forced to (again please correct me if I am wrong)

Thirdly I would like to get good enough to use a sling in a training event as we do not haev any slingers (that I know of) ( I will have to build a propper one before that)

Fourthly I have not worn it for a long time so I need to know if I need any new gear.

Can anyone suggest something to pack the copper pipe with to make a worthwile incenduary.

Appolgies for this being so long and thank you for any help or advice which can be provided.

Smithy.

Quote:Can anyone suggest something to pack the copper pipe with to make a worthwile incenduary.

Pack it with pure sodium metal and then sling it out into the surf...

Justen, you're incredible.

I would find an experienced slinger and work alongside them for a while. For incendiary shot use semi molten lead.