| This article is part of the series on: Military of ancient Rome (portal) 753 BC – AD 476 |
|
| Structural history | |
|---|---|
| Roman army (unit types and ranks, legions, auxiliaries, generals) | |
| Roman navy (fleets, admirals) | |
| Campaign history | |
| Lists of wars and battles | |
| Decorations and punishments | |
| Technological history | |
| Military engineering (castra, siege engines, arches, roads) | |
| Political history | |
| Strategy and tactics | |
| Infantry tactics | |
| Frontiers and fortifications (limes, Hadrian's Wall) |
The scorpio or scorpion was type of Roman artillery piece. Also known by the name of the triggerfish, it was described in detail by Vitruvius. In the progressive evolution of catapults, the next major improvement after the scorpio was the cheiroballistra.[1]
A weapon of remarkable precision and power, the scorpio was particularly dreaded by the enemies of the Roman Empire.
Contents |
The scorpio was a smaller catapult-type weapon, more of a sniper weapon than a siege engine, being operated by only one man. The scorpio was basically a primitive giant crossbow, a "catapult with bolts", probably first invented by the Greeks, then later adopted and used on a larger scale by the Roman legions. This catapult used a system of torsion springs, making it possible to obtain very great power and thus a high speed of ejection for the bolts.
The complexity of construction, adjustment and the great sensitivity to any variation in temperature or moisture limited their use, due to the torsion spring which the Romans referred to as tormenta. Moreover, this type of technology, which disappeared as of the High Middle Ages (with the exception of the Byzantine Empire), reappeared during the First Crusade with a new type of catapult based on a system of slings and counterweights which gave rise to the precision balances for the projection of stone balls or giant crossbows (thanks to the progress made in the field of metallurgy).
During the Roman Republic and early empire eras, 60 scorpio per legion was the standard, or one for every centuria. The scorpio had mainly two functions in a legion: in tended shooting, it was a weapon of marksmanship capable of cutting down any foe within a distance of 100 meters. During the siege of Avaricum in the war against the Gauls, Julius Caesar describes the terrifying precision of the scorpio.[2] In parabolic shooting, the range is greater, with distances up to 400 meters, the firing rate is higher (3 to 4 shots per minute) but the precision is significantly less.
Scorpio were typically used in an artillery battery at the top of a hill or other high ground, the side of which was protected by the main body of the legion. In this case, there are 60 scorpio present which can fire up to 240 bolts per minute at the enemy army. The weight and speed of a bolt was sufficient to pierce enemy shields, and usually also sufficient to wound (or outright kill) the warriors who opposed them.
|
||||||||||||||||