Ancient Weapons: Artillery and Chemical Warfare – Truth or Myth?

The widespread assumption is that modern weapons such as artillery and chemical warfare agents only played an important role in warfare in modern times, especially during the First World War. It is often assumed that ancient times, especially the Roman era, were characterized by comparatively primitive ordnance. However, on closer inspection, it is evident thatAlready in ancient times highly developed and extremely devastating weapons were used that were far ahead of their time and pushed the boundaries of warfare of the time.

The Roman Torsion Guns: Forerunners of Modern Artillery

Even the Roman torsional guns used in the antiquity military were distinguished by their impressive destructive power. These weapons, which were used systematically in the army, had an effect that still amazes today. Especially in the time of Emperor Maximinus Thrax, who in 235 AD against the Harzhorn in East Lower Saxony against Germanic tribesfighting, these weapons were used to their full power. Each Roman legion had its own artillery unit, consisting of about 60 torsional guns and several Ballistae. These complex weapons were perfectly tuned to use in warfare. The two-headed crew of one of these guns could be heavier with the so-called Scorpio – a kind ofCrossbow – fire up to five arrows per minute. These arrows could hit targets at a distance of 50 to 150 meters, with the penetration force being enormous. The maximum range was well over 400 meters, which meant that the Roman forces were able to fire the enemy from a great distance with a real rain of 200 to 300 arrows per minute. the enemyhad little chance of defending himself against this fire before he even realized the danger.

Further development of antique artillery: automated systems

In the course of late antiquity, the Roman guns were even further improved and expanded to include a kind of automatic. This innovation allowed to fire arrows with a single turn on the gun, reload and re-tension the frame. With this advanced arsenal, the Roman army was able to effectively deter even numerically superior enemies and fleeto beat. It is therefore understandable why the emperor and military leaders did everything they could to keep this technology secret. In the early imperial period, each legion had a so-called Fabrica, a workshop where weapons were manufactured and repaired. Under Emperor Diocletian, these workshops were finally combined into large state armaments factories,so-called Fabricae. These were the only large-scale industrial companies in the Roman Empire that produced large-scale military equipment. This centralization has ensured comprehensive secrecy to ensure military superiority.

Secret weapon technology and its secrecy

It has not yet been known whether enemy powers have tried to spy on Roman weapons technology. Nevertheless, it is highly likely that espionage attempts have been made to decipher the secrets of the Roman war machines. There is a presumption that some opponents of the empire tried to copy or steal these technologies to help them in theto use your own advantage In late antiquity, the growing components of armaments production were partly stored with private companies that produced weapons on behalf of the state. However, some of these manufacturers did not strictly adhere to the antiproliferation laws that restricted the sale and transfer of military technologies. It is known that these companiescoveted weapons and war machines to any interested buyer who was willing to pay the price.

Regulations against the illegal arms trade

For this reason, Emperor Justinian passed a law in 539 AD that prohibited the manufacture of almost all weapons by private individuals. In addition to arrows, arches, swords, armor, tanks and shields, the list also included so-called Missibilia – a collective term for all types of artillery war machines, i.e. catapults, ballistae and other heavy throwing machines. goalwas to protect the empire’s military superiority and to prevent the illegal arms trade.

Chemical Weapons in Antiquity: Secret Warfare

But the ancient warriors not only relied on the destructive power of Ballistas and Scorpioni. Chemical weapons were already in the armed forces’ arsenal in ancient times. There is evidence that poison gas and chemical substances were also used in wartime to weaken the opponent or destroy his defense.

The example of the attack on Dura-Europos: early chemical warfare

An impressive example of the use of chemical weapons in ancient times was provided by the siege of the Roman city of Dura-Europos in 256 AD. During this conflict, the Roman legionnaires became victims of a poison gas attack carried out by Persian Sasanids. The Persians dug a tunnel under the city walls to overcome the defense. The RomanDefenders had tracked down the besiegers’ activities and tried to sabotage the tunnel. But as soon as the breakthrough had been achieved, the Persians released a deadly cloud of straw, bitumen and sulfur, which was introduced into the tunnel. The legionnaires who were nearby were caught by this toxic cloud. Lost at least 19 Roman soldiersIn this attack her life, and the city of Dura-Europos fell to the Persians a little later. The city was destroyed and abandoned. This event shows that chemical weapons were used in war as early as ancient times and could have a devastating effect.

Antiquity War technologies were complex and deadly

In summary, the idea that only modern times have produced complex and destructive weapons is not true. Even in ancient times, the Roman forces had highly developed artillery systems, which were far ahead of their time. In addition, reports of chemical attacks showed that ancient war leaders also used chemical weapons toto weaken your opponents. These historical examples illustrate how progressive and deadly weapon technology was in ancient times. They prove that the boundaries between primitive and highly developed weapons have always been fluid throughout history. antiquity Warfare was by no means only characterized by swords, spears and arrows, but also included highly complex,Technological strategies that significantly influenced the course of battles.