Greek and Roman Artillery 399 BC-AD 363 (New Vanguard) [Paperback]

Duncan Campbell (Author), Brian Delf (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: New Vanguard | Publication Date: November 21, 2003

The catapult (katapeltikon) was invented under the patronage of Dionysius I, tyrant of Syracuse, in the 4th century bc. At first only the arrow-firing variant was used, and it was not until the reign of Alexander the Great that stone-projecting catapults were introduced. The Romans adopted these weapons during the Punic Wars and further developed them, before introducing the new arrow-firing ballista and stone-throwing onager. This title traces the often controversial design, development and construction of these weapons throughout the history of the classical world.

Editorial Reviews

Review

There is no knocking the New Vanguard series. They're cheap, informative and very user friendly.

From the Publisher

The unrivalled illustrated reference on fighting vehicles, transport and artillery through the ages. Each volume is illustrated throughout, making these books uniquely accessible to history enthusiasts of all ages.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (November 21, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841766348
• ISBN-13: 978-1841766348
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 0.1 x 9.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,217,381 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good little resource for the siege engine builder., February 24, 2006

By 

J. C. Frank (Montrose, CO) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Greek and Roman Artillery 399 BC-AD 363 (New Vanguard) (Paperback)

I build models of seige engines as a hobby, and this book is a valuable addition to my library. It specifically deals with the ballista, a crossbow-like weapon, and does so in good detail. The drawings are detailed and carefully done, and the photos and descriptions are more than adequate for a talented reconstructor to make scale models from tabletop sized to full sized. It is well worth adding to your library if you have an interest in Greek and Roman warfare and engineering.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting for an engineer but less so for the student of history, September 25, 2009

By 

Yoda (Hadera, Israel) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Greek and Roman Artillery 399 BC-AD 363 (New Vanguard) (Paperback)

This book provides a fairly good overview (forr star)of the mechanics and engineering behind Greek and Roman artillery of this period. Torsion, build, range, power, building material, etc. are all discussed well. However, the book provide a limited discussion of the actual military importance of the weapons, their utilization, performance in battle and development over the time period. Hence is of far less use or interest to the student of military history. Nevertheless, the book is very well illustrated. If one is interested in finding something to use as an illustrator or model builder of this this subject the book provides a very good introduction, especially considering the fact it is only 48 pages.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Nice study, July 2, 2006

By 

BernardZ (Melbourne, vic Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Greek and Roman Artillery 399 BC-AD 363 (New Vanguard) (Paperback)

If you are interested on the mechanics or how to build one of these artillery pieces this book is for you. Its quite well explained.

It also has some nice pictures.

If you want to know like I did, how they were used or how effective they were, you will find very little unfortunately here.