11-18-2012, 05:35 PM
Wow, thanks for the input, guys. I wonder how I missed that thread, though, as I did do a search on "onager" to begin with. Now, having resurrected the interest, this could be fun to share the pictures as we build it.
There is something puzzling me, though, as the pictures of the De Reffye style onager do not seem to confirm with the description of Ammianus. The later speaks of the machine being basicly constructed of two oak beams which have been bent to a humped shape. If a beam is thus bent, this would leave ground clearance in the middle, the beam only touching the ground at each of its ends. This is not consistent with the model shown, here the machine rests on the ground its full length and the humps are created by carving out part of the beam.
We are to build the onager at the Liburna shipyard, and they have bent the ships planking using heat and tension. So we should be able to build it just as described. In the previous thread, Randi gives an excellent translation, which we could indeed take at face-value. We could even turn the yard into a onager production line, as we will be making the Roman flax rope ourselves as well and being a blacksmith, I could build a small smithy on site and forge the nails and parts on the spot.
Would the washers have been bronze or iron, I wonder.
I must say I am very enthousiastic about the design that is coming to mind, as it solves quite a few questions I had from the simple mechanics of being able to put this together in the field in a short space of time.
For the educational project, I think we will go as far as stacking turfblocks for its trial firings!
There is something puzzling me, though, as the pictures of the De Reffye style onager do not seem to confirm with the description of Ammianus. The later speaks of the machine being basicly constructed of two oak beams which have been bent to a humped shape. If a beam is thus bent, this would leave ground clearance in the middle, the beam only touching the ground at each of its ends. This is not consistent with the model shown, here the machine rests on the ground its full length and the humps are created by carving out part of the beam.
We are to build the onager at the Liburna shipyard, and they have bent the ships planking using heat and tension. So we should be able to build it just as described. In the previous thread, Randi gives an excellent translation, which we could indeed take at face-value. We could even turn the yard into a onager production line, as we will be making the Roman flax rope ourselves as well and being a blacksmith, I could build a small smithy on site and forge the nails and parts on the spot.
Would the washers have been bronze or iron, I wonder.
I must say I am very enthousiastic about the design that is coming to mind, as it solves quite a few questions I had from the simple mechanics of being able to put this together in the field in a short space of time.
For the educational project, I think we will go as far as stacking turfblocks for its trial firings!
