Elenco Multiple Sling - Manual (Page 8)

6
MULTIPLE SLING
Codex Atlanticus, folio 159r
The slinger is a very old military figure dating back to the Sumerian, Assyrian and
Egyptian armies. The sling is a very simple weapon made up of a cord and a pouch
which holds the projectile, normally a stone or chunk of worked metal, or even more
simply, something found on the battle field. The first end of the cord was attached with
a slip knot to one of the slinger’s hands and the projectile was placed in the pouch. The
other end of the cord was held in the hand which the slinger whirled rapidly above his
head. The projectile gained speed and, when the second cord was released suddenly,
was forcefully launched towards the enemy. In this way, a slinger’s throw could cover
a distance of around 40 metres, causing serious injuries to the unfortunate enemy. In
spite of its simplicity, there are records of the sling being used in later periods in
history by parts of the Roman army. It was only in medieval times, when the use of
bows, crossbows and ballistae became
increasingly common, that slingers
lost their significance. Leonardo Da
Vinci was an expert in the art of war
and the Multiple Sling is one of his
original inventions. The drawing of
this machine appears on folio 158r of
the Codex Atlanticus, but similar
devices, such as catapults, crossbows
and springalds also figure frequently
in Da Vinci’s manuscripts,
particularly in the Codex Atlanticus
and Manuscript B. Da Vinci’s idea
was to build a very powerful machine
which could throw eight large
projectiles at the same time.