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21 pages, 4027 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Pompeii: From the Survey of Ballistic Impacts Towards the Reconstructions of Roman Artillery (1st Century BC)

by Adriana Rossi

Eng. Proc. 2025, 96(1), 6001; https://doi.org/10.3390/engproc2025096001 - 3 Jun 2025

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Abstract

This volume brings together the reflections of those who have been committed to building a dialogue around the results achieved (and currently underway) by the research project “Comparative Analysis and Certified Reconstructions for a correct experimental archeology: Roman Scorpions and Ballistae for the [...] Read more.

This volume brings together the reflections of those who have been committed to building a dialogue around the results achieved (and currently underway) by the research project “Comparative Analysis and Certified Reconstructions for a correct experimental archeology: Roman Scorpions and Ballistae for the Imperial mechanical culture, origin of European identity [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Proceedings of Discovering Pompeii: From Effects to Causes—From Surveying to the Reconstructions of Ballistae and Scorpiones)

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13 pages, 7037 KiB

Open AccessProceeding Paper

Ancient Science: From Effects to Ballistics Parameters

by Flavio Russo and Adriana Rossi

Eng. Proc. 2025, 96(1), 2; https://doi.org/10.3390/engproc2025096002 - 3 Jun 2025

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Abstract

A well-equipped legionary army prepared to lay siege to Pompeii. Among the weapons deployed along the northern stretch of the city walls were battering rams and mobile siege towers equipped with ballistae and scorpions. The impact marks from Republican-era stone balls and dart [...] Read more.

A well-equipped legionary army prepared to lay siege to Pompeii. Among the weapons deployed along the northern stretch of the city walls were battering rams and mobile siege towers equipped with ballistae and scorpions. The impact marks from Republican-era stone balls and dart tips remain visible today between the Vesuvio and Ercolano Gates. In 2002 and 2016, the authors surveyed significant cavities using both direct and indirect methods. The collected data were then used to calculate the volume of fractured stone material. Given the hardness of the wall ashlars, ballistic parameters were quantified based on Hellenistic treatises. The results make it possible to derive dimensions for reconstructing artillery calibrated to the observed effects. Full article

(This article belongs to the Proceedings of Discovering Pompeii: From Effects to Causes—From Surveying to the Reconstructions of Ballistae and Scorpiones)

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11 pages, 5381 KiB

Open AccessProceeding Paper

Primitive Shape Fitting of Stone Projectiles in Siege Weapons: Geometric Analysis of Roman Artillery Ammunition

by Silvia Bertacchi

Eng. Proc. 2025, 96(1), 3; https://doi.org/10.3390/engproc2025096003 - 3 Jun 2025

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Abstract

This paper presents the documentation, study activities, and possible applications of 3D digital models for the analysis and reconstruction of some examples of spheroidal stone projectiles—launched during the Sullan siege in 89 BC—now preserved in the Archaeological Park of Pompeii. The research proposes [...] Read more.

This paper presents the documentation, study activities, and possible applications of 3D digital models for the analysis and reconstruction of some examples of spheroidal stone projectiles—launched during the Sullan siege in 89 BC—now preserved in the Archaeological Park of Pompeii. The research proposes a methodology to derive best-fitting shapes that most closely adhere to the partially reconstructed image-based geometries. This allows a comparison with the circular ballistic impact traces still present on the ashlars of the northern city walls, as discovered by archaeologists about a hundred years ago. The results facilitate more precise ballistic calculations for the reconstruction of the elastic torsion weapons and their launching power. Full article

(This article belongs to the Proceedings of Discovering Pompeii: From Effects to Causes—From Surveying to the Reconstructions of Ballistae and Scorpiones)

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16 pages, 5918 KiB

Open AccessProceeding Paper

Tracing Metal Dart Impacts Through 3D Reverse Modeling on the Northern Walls of Pompeii

by Adriana Rossi and Silvia Bertacchi

Eng. Proc. 2025, 96(1), 4; https://doi.org/10.3390/engproc2025096004 - 4 Jun 2025

Abstract

This study examines the first systematic documentation of a series of small impact marks on the northern walls of Pompeii, interpreted as the result of Roman metal dart projectiles launched during the Sullan siege in 89 BC. Using high-resolution, reality-based 3D models, comparative [...] Read more.

This study examines the first systematic documentation of a series of small impact marks on the northern walls of Pompeii, interpreted as the result of Roman metal dart projectiles launched during the Sullan siege in 89 BC. Using high-resolution, reality-based 3D models, comparative analysis, and reverse modeling techniques, the research explores the hypothesis that a distinctive fan-shaped configuration of quadrangular indentations may have been produced by a repeating catapult, known as the polybolos. The integration of close-range photogrammetry, laser scanning, and digital reconstruction tools demonstrates how virtual casts and comparative modeling can contribute to archaeological interpretations of ancient projectile weaponry. Full article

(This article belongs to the Proceedings of Discovering Pompeii: From Effects to Causes—From Surveying to the Reconstructions of Ballistae and Scorpiones)

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3833 KiB

Open AccessProceeding Paper

(Im)material Casts from the Sullan Period

by Claudio Formicola, Silvia Bertacchi and Adriana Rossi

Eng. Proc. 2025, 96(1), 5; https://doi.org/10.3390/engproc2025096005 (registering DOI) - 4 Jun 2025

Abstract

Thanks to Pompeii’s burial under Vesuvio’s 79 AD eruption deposits, the ballistic imprints on its northern defensive perimeter are uniquely attributable to Sulla’s siege of 89 BC. These impact marks were digitally documented using integrated survey techniques and custom pipelines. The virtual casts [...] Read more.

Thanks to Pompeii’s burial under Vesuvio’s 79 AD eruption deposits, the ballistic imprints on its northern defensive perimeter are uniquely attributable to Sulla’s siege of 89 BC. These impact marks were digitally documented using integrated survey techniques and custom pipelines. The virtual casts generated—dimensionally accurate, high-resolution surface replicas—serve as key inputs for the reverse-modeling of damage craters, supporting terminal ballistics analyses. Two case studies—a stone projectile cavity and fan-shaped dart impressions—were 3D-printed at 1:1 scale. Prototype casting thus emerges as a cultural asset and rapidly updatable component of a dynamic data ecosystem, inclusive of users with disabilities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Proceedings of Discovering Pompeii: From Effects to Causes—From Surveying to the Reconstructions of Ballistae and Scorpiones)

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