11-05-2007, 07:18 PM
At least one source for the range is Xenophon in Kyrou Anabasis:
3.3.7: the Cretan archers had less range than Persian archers;
3.3.15: the Cretans had seemingly less reach than the Persian slingers (with stones)
3.3.16: the Rhodians could sling farther than the Persian slingers, using lead projectiles, reportedly they had the double reach of the Persians (this is highly unlikely, because this would mean a just ludricously low reach for the Cretans)
3.4.16 the Persians could do no longer harm to the Greeks as the Rhodian slingers shot farther than they, "even farther than the archers"
A bit confusing but a first hand report, written long after the events (which are often not that correct :roll: ).
The power of the sling bullets could not have been much greater than that of arrows. Both missiles traveled roughly at the same speed and had comparable weights.
Ranges (when shot at ideal angles):
Sling bullets in modern tests were sometimes slung to ranges over 500 metres (with special bullets). 200 to 300 metres must have been the norm although I doubt the performance of the low energy bullets at this range. I don't know much about bow performance. A reconstruction of a "Sassanid" bow (as used in the late Roman army) for the M. Junkelmann group with about 80 lbs draw weight shot a heavy arrow up to 188 metres, light arrows to over 200 metres, of course without any performance against shields or armour at these ranges. In the 18th c. AD a competition in the Ottoman empire in bow shooting ended with a winner who shot an arrow to a distance of about 870 metres. Reportedly in modern times once more than 1000 metres were reached with a special bow.
To compare: a modern medium rifle bullet (e.g. .308 Win.) touches the ground in a distance of about 500 metres if shot vertically. It reaches 3 to 4 km if shot at an angle of about 35 degree, quite capable to kill people at the end of its trajectory.
3.3.7: the Cretan archers had less range than Persian archers;
3.3.15: the Cretans had seemingly less reach than the Persian slingers (with stones)
3.3.16: the Rhodians could sling farther than the Persian slingers, using lead projectiles, reportedly they had the double reach of the Persians (this is highly unlikely, because this would mean a just ludricously low reach for the Cretans)
3.4.16 the Persians could do no longer harm to the Greeks as the Rhodian slingers shot farther than they, "even farther than the archers"
A bit confusing but a first hand report, written long after the events (which are often not that correct :roll: ).
The power of the sling bullets could not have been much greater than that of arrows. Both missiles traveled roughly at the same speed and had comparable weights.
Ranges (when shot at ideal angles):
Sling bullets in modern tests were sometimes slung to ranges over 500 metres (with special bullets). 200 to 300 metres must have been the norm although I doubt the performance of the low energy bullets at this range. I don't know much about bow performance. A reconstruction of a "Sassanid" bow (as used in the late Roman army) for the M. Junkelmann group with about 80 lbs draw weight shot a heavy arrow up to 188 metres, light arrows to over 200 metres, of course without any performance against shields or armour at these ranges. In the 18th c. AD a competition in the Ottoman empire in bow shooting ended with a winner who shot an arrow to a distance of about 870 metres. Reportedly in modern times once more than 1000 metres were reached with a special bow.
To compare: a modern medium rifle bullet (e.g. .308 Win.) touches the ground in a distance of about 500 metres if shot vertically. It reaches 3 to 4 km if shot at an angle of about 35 degree, quite capable to kill people at the end of its trajectory.
Wolfgang Zeiler
