Article search about pila muralia

[caiusbeerquitius]

Hi all! There recently was an article about a different use of pila muralia / sudes going around... It showed how they can be used partially buried in the wall. Does anyone have a link to the .pdf for me? I accidentally deleted it and cannot find it anymore... o0

Thank you! C.

[caiusbeerquitius]

Found it =)
http://romandanes.dk/index.php/en/articles/article-3

[Simplex]

Christian,
...very interesting website as such.
Thanks a lot.
That would have been an effective way of strengthening the small dams behind a titulum and on the inside kink of a clavicula-type camp's gateway.
But still using them as tribula (3 apiece) would stay an effective means of blocking the gateways of camps, both marching- and permanent-camps.
Simply don't use them individually. Just tie them tohether with ropes or even better tie a log or a plank underneath the joint from below, about 6 or more of these tribula, letting it protrude only slightly so that they can be carried "en bloc" -- this would increase it's effectiveness. So a gateway can be blocked very swiftly. Adding a row after another to that would further increase the effectiveness of this barrage, especially when placed "interlocking". Having drilled you legionaries working in teams 4 strong it would be a matter of seconds blocking a road once you've prepared enough of these "tools". Likewise that very road could have been de-blocked quite swiftly, too.
IIRC such a procedure is still applied today for roadblocks.
And of course you could still hurl tribula down "storming-ladders" if you need to do so.(Just attach more weight.) :wink:

Greez

Simplex

[richsc]

Let me chuck this comment from FB here too, as I was wondering about the length of time to break down a marching camp, and whether you would leave the walls intact or break them up. Where I live digging up parks like this is seriously frowned upon, and my wife would not let me dig up the garden to try this out.

This idea (burying the stakes) had occurred to me too, or at least the front facing part, but not tied together; this would make pulling the wood out quicker when breaking down when moving out. But if they were tied together pulling them out would help break up the wall. Would be interesting to see you take them out and how quickly you could do it to get going on the march.