Late Roman Cavalry and Artillery - Comitatus Website Update

[D B Campbell]

Artillery photos are now accompanied by words (courtesy of John Conyard):

http://www.comitatus.net/ballista.htm

This is where I duck to avoid missiles, both physical and metaphorical!

I missed this post when it appeared last week.
Your machine, which (as you said) follows Alan Wilkins' interpretation of the Cheiroballistra document, is beautifully made -- congratulations.
Can I just make a verrrry minor correction to your text?

(1a) You wrote: "Many reconstructions use a simple winch system to pull back the trigger mechanism. The ratchet and pawl system used on our example is illustrated on the “Cupid Gem”, a seal stone showing the only side view of a Roman catapult."
In fact, it's the opposite! The Cupid Gem shows a ratchet-wheel, but Heron's gastraphetes uses a linear ratchet and pawl like the one you have on your machine.

(1b) You wrote: "Ammianus mentions the same system in relation to onagers."
Does he? Where?!
(I think it was Marsden's conjecture to use a ratchet wheel on his onager, rather than information from Ammianus.)