Throwing Artillery from Apsaros Roman Fortress. Analyze and Interpretation of Stone Projectiles for Ballista

Abstract

Stone balls are commonly found at archaeological sites associated with the Roman army. They represent a great variety of sizes and were used for siege engines, as projectiles for slingshots and large metal arrowheads. During the archaeological research conducted in the Roman fort of Apsaros 115 stone balls of a variety of sizes and weights were found. This collection has been analyzed and organized according to their diameter and weight. The results were compared with the published research of stone balls from other places where the Roman army had been stationed. The stone balls from Apsaros were compared to the information about the ballista and their projectiles contained in Vitruvius’s text (Vit. De Arch. X,11.3). All the stone balls found in Apsaros have been arranged in a chart. The coordinate system shows the relation between the mass and the diameter of the individual bullets. By using this method, we have established a better distribution of the collection of stone balls, dividing them into fi ve groups as opposed to the three groups previously introduced. In all cases for which it was possible, the place where the projectiles in the fortress were found has also been provided. The localization of the fi ndings was compared with the probable localization of the Roman fort of Apsaros from the fi rst centuries of our era. The research of stone balls from the Roman fort Apsaros was possible thanks to the cooperation between Polish and Georgians archaeologists during the Gonio-Apsaros expedition. The joint expedition consists of researchers from the Institute of Archaeology of the University of Warsaw, the Polish Center of Mediterranean Archaeology of the University of Warsaw and the Cultural Heritage Preservation Agency of Adjara.