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Keywords = ancient ballista

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15 pages, 2038 KiB  
Proceeding Paper
Structural Integrity Assessment of Pompeii’s City Wall Under Roman Artillery Fire: A Finite Element Approach
by Monil Mihirbhai Thakkar, Amir Ardeshiri Lordejani and Mario Guagliano
Eng. Proc. 2025, 96(1), 7; https://doi.org/10.3390/engproc2025096007 - 6 Jun 2025
Viewed by 213
Abstract
During Sulla’s siege of Pompeii in 89 BC projectiles were launched using Roman artillery, leaving visible craters on the fortified walls. The city was later buried by the eruption in 79 AD, preserving both its architectural layout and the damaged wall surfaces, and [...] Read more.
During Sulla’s siege of Pompeii in 89 BC projectiles were launched using Roman artillery, leaving visible craters on the fortified walls. The city was later buried by the eruption in 79 AD, preserving both its architectural layout and the damaged wall surfaces, and was excavated in the early 20th century. This study focuses on simulating projectile impacts on Grey Tuff to estimate impact velocities and penetration depths, offering insights into the destructive capability of Roman weapons. Material models are developed, followed by finite element analysis. Mesh convergence, velocity calibration, and angular impact studies are performed for both ballista and dart to better understand impact mechanics and crater formation. 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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10 pages, 2421 KiB  
Proceeding Paper
Ancient Projectile Identification Through Inverse Analysis: Case Studies from Pompeii
by Simone Palladino, Renato Zona and Vincenzo Minutolo
Eng. Proc. 2025, 96(1), 8; https://doi.org/10.3390/engproc2025096008 - 6 Jun 2025
Viewed by 233
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 [...] Read more.
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. 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  
Proceeding 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
Viewed by 261
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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