Schießscharten - eine Erfindung des...Archimedes?!

Gegenkaiser

Gesperrt
Marcellus, therefore, decided to creep up at night and establish himself at the foot of the Achradina wall, because it had been pointed out at a council of war that Archimedes' artillery was all tuned to throw missiles at relatively long range; if the Romans advanced right up to the walls they would be within shot in an unusual sense of that term, that is, too near to be hit by artillery which could not shoot effectively at an angle of depression. To the surprise of the Romans, when their plan was put into practice, a regular hail of missiles came from slits arranged at all heights in the walls, slits 1 cubit wide according to Livy, 4 and 4 dactyls according to Polybius. Plutarch comments that the majority of Archimedes' engines were under the wall which probably means they were in front, and at the base, of the walls among the outworks, just where we shall find Philon recommending them to be placed. The surprise of the Romans indicates that they had not experienced this type of fortification before.

Aus: E.W. Marsden - Greek and Roman Artillery. Historical Development, S. 109
Tante Wiki schreibt die Erfindung sogar ganz ausdrücklich Archimedes zu (Arrowslit - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). Aber was ist mit dem Alten Orient, den Hethitern, Assyrern, Babyloniern...standen dort die Bogenschützen stets nur auf den Zinnen?
 
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