09-02-2015, 12:49 PM
Reading a piece of Livy (Ab Urbe Condita, 26, 47, 5-6), I found that Scipio Africanus, after taking Carthago Nova captured various punic siege engines:
"captured also was a vast amount of war material: a hundred and twenty catapults of the largest model, two hundred and eightyone of the smaller; twentythree larger ballistae, fiftytwo smaller; larger and smaller scorpions and arms and missile weapons."
Now, beside the curious fact that apparently the Carthaginian had field artillery like the scorpio, I was intersted to understand the difference between ballista and catapult.
Apparently both weapons were torsion throwing weapons with arms, and I can't find any reference of difference of projectiles -at least for catapults i found reference of dart throwing -Katapeltai oxybeles- and stones -katapeltai petroboloi, or lithoboloi-.
Any help?
Thank you in advance!
"captured also was a vast amount of war material: a hundred and twenty catapults of the largest model, two hundred and eightyone of the smaller; twentythree larger ballistae, fiftytwo smaller; larger and smaller scorpions and arms and missile weapons."
Now, beside the curious fact that apparently the Carthaginian had field artillery like the scorpio, I was intersted to understand the difference between ballista and catapult.
Apparently both weapons were torsion throwing weapons with arms, and I can't find any reference of difference of projectiles -at least for catapults i found reference of dart throwing -Katapeltai oxybeles- and stones -katapeltai petroboloi, or lithoboloi-.
Any help?
Thank you in advance!