RomanArmyTalk

Any good articles about how the Romans made use of their slingers or archers?

A person I know postulated that they were stationed behind the legions and fired overhead.


also any idea on the range of slings & bows?



I did my best to search for previous theads but all I found was stuff on Hamian archers. . .

I am looking specifically for information on Roman Auxillia in later republic/ early imperial period. But wouldn't mind reading about Eastern bow-use.

Thanks for whatever you can send me.


Matt Webster
Any articles

Quote:A person I know postulated that they were stationed behind the legions and fired overhead.

That's how I see them used in Late Roman times, yes, but I guess that wasn't common practise throughout all of Rome's military history.

While we're on the subject of auxiliary troops, I was wondering about something. I remember reading that slingers came from the Balaeric Isles and archers from Crete. At least I remember reading this in school.
I was wondering if this was a permanent institution? I mean were slingers not recruited from any other geographical location?

Good info on slings and slinging at www.slinging.org , not so much historical only as practical and useful for reconstructing/learning how to sling.

I mainly know articles from the Jahrbuch about thsitopic all in german. The lists below are from these, No. 1. from the funditores article, No.2-3 from the thrid article.

Völling, Thomas
Funditores im römischen Heer.
SJ 45, 1990, S. 24-58

Baatz, Dietwulf
Schleudergeschosse aus Blei - eine waffentechnische Untersuchung.
SJ 45, 1990, S. 59-67

Zanier, Werner
Römische dreiflügelige Pfeilspitzen.
SJ 44, 1988, S. 5-27

Archers firing over the heads of auxiliary infantry and legionaries can also be fond during the battle of Idistavisio 16 AD, or in Arrians battle order against the Alans. It seems to be the best way to protect them against beeing attacked by cavalry or heavy infantry during pitched battles.
From waht I know the combat range of a composite bow is around 150-175m, for slings around 200m and more.

Quote:While we're on the subject of auxiliary troops, I was wondering about something. I remember reading that slingers came from the Balaeric Isles and archers from Crete. At least I remember reading this in school.
I was wondering if this was a permanent institution? I mean were slingers not recruited from any other geographical location?

That slingers generally were from the baleares and archers from creta can only be said for the republican period, and even then it's a simplified view.
In the lists below also mention the orgin and location of each units. I don't think they are complete (polybius is ignored for example), especially since this articles are quite old now.

List One:
Ancient sources mentioning slingers in the roman army:

List Two:
Ancient sources mentioning archers in the roman army:

List Three:
Attested archer units of the imperial roman army in the 1st-3rd century AD:




Map with the position of roman arecher and horse archer units in the 1st-3rd century AD.

Michael and David, thank you for your efforts, I did learn something new although I wish I knew German! I am having real trouble opening David's website though. I'll just keep trying

You're right. I couldn't make it work either,but try typing in WWW.SLINGING dot ORG and it works. Go figger. Upper or lower case seem to work fine.

Quote:You're right. I couldn't make it work either.

You hada rogue dot at the end of your URL Demetrius!

Thanks for the help and useful links.

I appreciate it.


Matt Webster

I've been slinging for several years.

I can get a range of around 100m with a nice stone at maximum power. The target area is quite large, though.

More accurate slings I can achieve out to 40m.

But of course with slinging you start at 00% skill and build up very very slowly over years. I'm sure a good slinger could put a lead bullet out to 150m with alot more accuracy than I.

In the Late Empire, one eastern legion was called the 'Slingers', though it is debatable whether those 500 men were actually slingers, or were originally slingers (in the distant past - perhaps an auxliary unit retrained and rearmed as infanry during the 300 reorganization). Fascinating.