The Most Underrated Ancient Projectile

A look into the utility and power of the big, but humble rock.

[IronicIgnorance]

3:49 Imagine being 4 rows back, behind a shield wall, just gearing for the charge and a small boulder decimates your nuts.

[darylwilliams]

The accuracy of those shots by itself convinces me that this sling was an effective weapon. I had no idea you could learn to sling stones so accurately.

[y]

Good lord, I didn't expect the mental image of being faced by a THOUSAND slingers

[mbrackeva]

The advantage of using pebbles over arrows is that arrows have to be crafted, while pebbles can be found everywhere on the ground. And they respawn after three days.

[orsonincharge]

A sling around his waist and a pocket full of pebbles makes this chap a dangerous proposition .

[goatboy]

A teenager could take out a giant with something like this.

[joebombero]

At a snowball fight on MU campus in 1984, I witnessed Lacrosse players using their lacrosse throwers to launch snowballs through an entire house, smashing the window on the street, traveling through the house and exiting by smashing rear windows and continuing through the back yard. I never forgot that.

[PatchyHedge]

As a nurse, I can't help but think that even with the glancing blows to the head, they would incapacitate, discombobulate, and take them out of the battle or make it easier for their opponents to dispatch.

This video really adds context to the account of David and Goliath. Well done! My son is going to enjoy watching this :)

[RonnieStanley-tcvi]

Hearing those stones hitting that helmet is impressive by itself.

[CheekyPseudonym]

Charcoal covered stone; the beginning of stealth technology

[TheRealTburt]

The Diodorus quote touched on a very important aspect of using a sling: years and years of practice. That was something that crossbows and firearms fixed, the speed of training.

[JayM]

Now imagine the skill of someone from Rhodes or the Balearic Islands who has practised since childhood. Roman General Paulus was killed by a sling stone in the battle of Cannae.
Great video.

[holzmann]

7:43 This level of proficiency sparks joy. Beautiful shot.

[ahather]

even if a stone doesn't cave your skull in there's still the matter of spinal injuries because sweet holy whiplash

[robotlegs]

Don’t let them see this in London or they’ll be knocking on your door asking for your string permit

[marsupialdungbucket]

The Romans, Carthiginians and others hired Menorcans as mercenary stone-throwers for centuries. In the 1960's a historian wanted to prove this and started hunting on the island for throwing stones. After weeks with little or no luck he asked the local children if they could find any, and he would pay them 10 pesetas (2/3 the cost of a bottle of Coke) for each one. Ten minutes later they came back with their hands full and asking for a bucket to carry the rest! They had found a large pile of them, used for practice.The opposite side of the field had dozens more, left where they had been thrown.

[anordenaryman.]

When you consider the amount of blacksmithing, woodworking, and assembling needed to make an arrow, a cart load of river stones is far more bang for the army's buck. And if you win the battle, you can collect them undamaged for the next battle. I am sure they were used more than we think.

[b.h.abbott-motley]

There's a reason various 16th-century Spanish accounts compare the sling to the arquebus. A thicker helmet would provide better protection, but slung stones remained a threat even into the age of firearms.

[ulvesparker]

I was a big slinger for decades but I injured my shoulder and couldn't continue 😢. But yeah, slings are great.

Lightweight, easy to improvise, innocent looking in society, emergency survival tool, totally non-metallic, fun skill to practice, and lots of cheap ammo everywhere.

I use one as a hatband on my boonie, and have a frameless as a bracelet in plain sight.

[PhilForeman]

Brains are surprisingly vulnerable to shock injury. The brain sort of floats inside of the skull. I have suffered from a subdural hematoma from a short fall from a bike, with a helmet. Getting hit by a 1 pound rock traveling at this sort of velocity can easily kill, even with the steel helmet with very meager padding.