Next Article in Journal
Access to Digital Cultural Heritage: Exploring Future Perspectives Through Open Tools of Research
Previous Article in Journal
An Evaluation of the Inhibitory Effect of Dandelion Root Extract in a HCl Solution by Statistical Analysis
 
 
Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
Journals
Engineering Proceedings
Volume 96
Issue 1
10.3390/engproc2025096008
engproc-logo
Submit to this Journal
► Article Menu

Article Menu

share Share announcement Help format_quote Cite question_answer Discuss in SciProfiles
first_page
settings
Order Article Reprints
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
Proceeding Paper

Ancient Projectile Identification Through Inverse Analysis: Case Studies from Pompeii †

by
Simone Palladino
,
Renato Zona
and
Vincenzo Minutolo
*
Department of Engineering, University of Campania “L. Vanvitelli”, 81031 Aversa, Italy
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
Presented at the Conference “Discovering Pompeii: From Effects to Causes—From Surveying to the Reconstructions of Ballistae and Scorpiones”, Aversa, Italy, 27 February 2025.
Eng. Proc. 2025, 96(1), 8; https://doi.org/10.3390/engproc2025096008
Published: 6 June 2025
(This article belongs to the Proceedings of Discovering Pompeii: From Effects to Causes—From Surveying to the Reconstructions of Ballistae and Scorpiones)
Browse Figures
Versions Notes

Abstract

A straightforward method for determining the causes of impact relics left by ancient projectiles on the city walls of Pompeii is proposed based on principles of plasticity and fracture mechanics. The inverse analysis begins with the measured craters caused by spherical projectiles or darts launched by the Roman army during the siege of 89 B.C. A Mathematica© notebook is presented, enabling the calculation of projectile impact velocity from the known dimensions of the projectiles and the mechanical properties of the wall material.
Keywords: inverse analysis; ancient ballista; fracture release rate; plastic dissipation inverse analysis; ancient ballista; fracture release rate; plastic dissipation

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Palladino, S.; Zona, R.; Minutolo, V. Ancient Projectile Identification Through Inverse Analysis: Case Studies from Pompeii. Eng. Proc. 2025, 96, 8. https://doi.org/10.3390/engproc2025096008

AMA Style

Palladino S, Zona R, Minutolo V. Ancient Projectile Identification Through Inverse Analysis: Case Studies from Pompeii. Engineering Proceedings. 2025; 96(1):8. https://doi.org/10.3390/engproc2025096008

Chicago/Turabian Style

Palladino, Simone, Renato Zona, and Vincenzo Minutolo. 2025. "Ancient Projectile Identification Through Inverse Analysis: Case Studies from Pompeii" Engineering Proceedings 96, no. 1: 8. https://doi.org/10.3390/engproc2025096008

APA Style

Palladino, S., Zona, R., & Minutolo, V. (2025). Ancient Projectile Identification Through Inverse Analysis: Case Studies from Pompeii. Engineering Proceedings, 96(1), 8. https://doi.org/10.3390/engproc2025096008

Article Metrics

Back to TopTop