Timeline for Did the ancient Greeks ban the gastraphetes?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
18 events
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| Aug 6, 2020 at 16:39 | comment | added | llywrch | IIRC, bows & arrows themselves weren't a popular weapon in ancient warfare; their use was limited to the Heroic Age & the pages of Homer. (Were they considered somehow "unmanly"? Or was this considered too expensive of a weapon to use?) So a crossbow might not recommend itself to the ancient Greek warriors. Slings & stones, on the other hand, were widely used but not always effective against the heavily-armored hoplites. | |
| Aug 6, 2020 at 13:51 | history | edited | MCW♦ | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
added 127 characters in body
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| S Aug 6, 2020 at 13:05 | history | suggested | Fruit Monster | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
corrected some small mistakes
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| Aug 6, 2020 at 13:00 | review | Suggested edits | |||
| S Aug 6, 2020 at 13:05 | |||||
| Mar 25, 2017 at 14:11 | vote | accept | b_jonas | ||
| Mar 9, 2017 at 18:13 | comment | added | yannis | ... which is why I only posted a comment, and not an answer @b_jonas ;) | |
| Mar 9, 2017 at 16:43 | history | tweeted | twitter.com/StackHistory/status/839879403303809024 | ||
| Mar 9, 2017 at 16:13 | comment | added | b_jonas | @yannis That is a nice and relevant quote that might explain the motivation of the ancient greek, if such a treaty has existed. But I wonder what actually came from it. Did king Archidamus actually tried to stop soldiers from using that weapon? Or was this just a factual statement where he realized how much the shape of war will change? (I also wonder if that quote is about the gastraphetes, or one of the larger crossbows that aren't hand-held but pushed on wheels.) | |
| Mar 9, 2017 at 16:06 | comment | added | yannis | When the heavy arrow was released by pulling a cord, the missile was said to have flown several times farther than any archer’s arrow and it went clean through a shield and corselet. Instead of praising the Sicilian officer for bringing such a powerful weapon, Archidamus is said to have shouted, “By Heracles, this is the end of man’s valor” - The Classical Cold War: Exploring the Effects of Greco-Roman Advancements of Missile-Shooters | |
| Mar 9, 2017 at 14:21 | answer | added | justCal | timeline score: 6 | |
| Mar 9, 2017 at 14:09 | comment | added | SJuan76 | In the II Lateran Council, Innocent II did ban the use of crossbow against Christians as a "cruel weapon"; article 29 of the council proceedings. Of course, it is worth commenting that at the day crossbows were one of the few weapons that not-so-well-trained peasants could use against knights with a realistic chance of success, so he probably was a little biased. | |
| Mar 9, 2017 at 12:08 | comment | added | yannis | Hm, there might be some truth to this, I do remember a story of a Greek king expressing disgust when first seeing these new war machines. I'm afraid I don't remember any specifics, though. | |
| Mar 9, 2017 at 11:58 | comment | added | b_jonas | @Steve Bird: finance.bme.hu/hu/munkatarsak/dr-galantai-zoltan points to vm.mtmt.hu//search/slist.php?lang=0&AuthorID=10001952 which lists his publications, some of which are likely in English. | |
| Mar 9, 2017 at 11:55 | comment | added | b_jonas | @Steve Bird: Galántai Zoltán is currently a professor in Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences, Üzleti Tudományok Intézet, Pénzügyek Tanszék, according to uti.bme.hu/web/38596/~/17810/home . He was already a professor of Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences, but possibly a different department, when he held this lecture there. The weakest link here is my memory about the lecture, since I can't find any notes supporting my statements. | |
| Mar 9, 2017 at 11:40 | history | edited | Steve Bird | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
edited body; edited title
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| Mar 9, 2017 at 11:38 | comment | added | Steve Bird | Just for clarity it would help to know about who Galántai Zoltán is (there don't appear to be any English language pages about him). | |
| Mar 9, 2017 at 11:10 | review | First posts | |||
| Mar 9, 2017 at 11:40 | |||||
| Mar 9, 2017 at 11:05 | history | asked | b_jonas | CC BY-SA 3.0 |