Fustibalus - Staff Sling

[John Conyard]

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.