Huge Roman Ballista Catapulta - Tod's Workshop TV job
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ม.ค. 2013
- In 2012 I headed the engineering on a TV show where we made a catapulta in 3 days.
This machine looks like a ballista and people call it that, but in fact the Romans would have called it a Catapulta (NOT catapult). A ballista shoots stones or round shot. A catapult shoots stones or round shot in medieval Europe. This is a CATAPULTA and shoots arrows.
It needed to be big for TV but also work well, so we followed the sizes laid down in Vitruvius and had advice from Alan Wilkins and Tom Feely and of course used the treatise by Marsden.
We only managed to get off around 6 or 7 shots before the end of the day and in this very short time were shooting bolts 319m, the long lens on the camera makes it look less, but I am not lying. It could have done considerably more.
As it stands 319m is further than any other catapulta shot (at the time) since the fall of the Roman Empire - so we were pretty pleased. Thanks to Mike Sansom for the film.
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Filmed using a precise replica of an early Roman camcorder.
made out of coconuts
Didnt they just draw a bunch of pictures, stack em up and flip the pages real fast? 😆😅😂. I heard that chopper comin and i was like NO WAY! LOL
are you suggesting they had coconuts in rome?
how would coconuts get to rome?
@One Hand everyone knows, that only atlants had access to deficit american products, therefore romans could use nothing but radish.
Yes, before the concept of focus was invented.
"See that Celt 300 metres away?"
"Yes Centurion?"
"I don't want to."
"Yes Centurion!"
*cuts out centurions eyes*
@@zoetaylor399 I think that you might get crucified for that one.
@@josephlongbone4255 nah, you'd be cut in half before that...
@@josephlongbone4255 Laugh in ancestors sacking rome 4 times and controlling it about as many times if not more through the centuries.
See those romans xD, their army's now germanics and celts, lel
Now that made me laugh
It's crazy to think they used to shoot dragons with those back in the day
Oit... Too soon.
CodPast yes that is crazy
ikr :O
To be fair, they were actually crossbows made for giants, but humans took them when they drove the giants to extinction
@Archock Encanto
The Giants were Christian?
Man, they fire way quicker than this on Age of Empires.
They build quicker on AoE too
Well they also tend to be fighting off hordes of foes in game.
total war rome 2 aswell man, must of been something in the water back then
People tend to work faster when the consequence of failure is DEATH.
I imagine the smaller field pieces (Scorpio ballista) would probably have been faster to load. The big ones designed for taking the side out of a castle probably would have been a cone back tomorrow job.
Barbarian 1: “What are they doing”
Barbarian 2: “Still putting that stick in that thing”
Barbarian 1: “Lets come back tomorrow”
Barbarian 3: "That reminds me, I have to put a stick in a thing as well."
@@seandsouza7307 Lol
@@seandsouza7307 Barbarian 2 : she said she likes that 😊
gets impaled by stick*
I imagine that with a Centurian screaming at you, it went a lot faster.
I wonder how fast a trained and motivated crew could operate one of those bad boys. 1 shot per minute? More?
@@kev3d one shot per minute is a good average and trust me, one of these per minute is plenty to ruin somebody's day
He’d also be conking you in the head with a stick
Lemur Steaks Yes. That Would get one’s attention!
Take in mind that these were used mainly in sieges to clear off enemy walls. You have plenty time in a siege. And with precise weapons of these it's likely that at some point enemies would simply avoid certain sections of the wall, making it easier to build ramparts there.
Crank faster, the Visigoths are already at the gates
yesh, the Romans would have loaded that thing a helluva lot faster, especially during a battle.
Naruto runners already got you
@@manabouttongue Romans didn't have soda and microwavable macaroni
These things are actually incredibly dangerous to operate, there's a huge amount of tension on either arm and if something goes wrong, the whole thing will practically explode. It's not like they have an experienced 1700 year old Roman siege engineer to supervise them and make sure they built it correctly.
@@NoOdL3z18 Yeah am sure the romans had a better way of doing it and yeah the artillerymen would have been highly trained.
A few year back, I worked on a TV show called The Re-Inventors. (Partners in Motion was the production company) One of my favorite projects was a medieval wind powered personnel/equipment carrier. It was a beautiful thing! At one point during a coffee break, I stepped out of the tent to have a smoke just in time to see this massive thing hop the chocks and start rolling down the stretch of road we were set up on. .... The fabrics weren't even on the windmill blades yet! Needless to say, it was certainly a success. We did manage to run up to it to get it stopped before it damaged anything.
The very first project I worked on with them was a medieval battering ram on wheels.
The worst, but still really super cool, was when we built three 10' x 14' war kites based on the theory that the Chinese would attach rockets to kites to attack armies on the higher ground. It would have been a fun shoot had it not been mid-winter in Saskatchewan, Canada with temperatures dipping into the -40 range. As luck would have it, on the day we were to film the kites in the air launching the rockets, there was practically no wind. We resorted to launching the kites by pulling them up with a snowmobile. The end results looked pretty awesome if I must say so myself! hahaha
Man, I really miss doing that stuff!
Your videos really take me back to those days. Thank you for that!
Cheers!!
That's cool man!
I've come back to this video many times. Lets be honest, we all want a ballista out the front of our house.
The only proper use of a golf course.
FORE!!!
Adrian Firewalker (distant screaming)
If golf was played with Ballistas, it would likely be much more popular.
To play pretend "Siege of Jerusalem"? Sign me up!
Would you recommend this for concealed carry?
Yes, I'll take 2 with 10 bolts each. Do they come with telescopic sights? Are speedloaders also available?
you might be able to conceal it in a truck?
@@TheStygian You took it too far.
I’ll do it...20$
Also quite suitable for home defense, especially if you live in a tower.
OUR MEN FLEE THE FIELD OF BATTLE, WHAT A SHAMEFUL DISPLAY
oh ffs forgot to turn advisor off again!
THIS IS A HEROIC VICTORY WORTHY OF ROMAN ARMS!
ROME IS MOTHER TO US ALL
Brave Romans to a man!
oh great days, such memories
Best game of lawn darts ever.
This is a true artifact.
And, this artifact shows moving images of Roman artillery.
I'd like to think the firing of ancient Roman catapultas (catapultii?) was also accompanied by shouts of "Fuuccckyaaawwwww!"
ETIAMMMMM!
Only when they were besieging what is now the West Midlands.
"FVCK YES!"
Catapulta is feminine, so the plural would be catapultæ
@@nymphrodellsalavin Well, I learned something. I might forget it, but I learned it.
so far this seems to be the only legit video of a ballista in action
its no ballista
@@basali1000 it is dingus
@@vassowned7768It's not dingus dingus
So this is how golf holes are made...
Парни просто охотятся на кротов...
Put a light/led on the arrow to observe the flight. Would've been nice.
Or a flare.
Or just paint it neon orange.
But it should be a historically accurate led attached to the bolt. Accept no substitute.
Just get better camera..
Red smoke.
That helicopter pilot's story would win first place at the pilot's convention.
The helicopter was shot down with the bellista, behind the scene. Lol
That sound, imagining a battery of those firing a barrage. Must have been terrifying to be on the receiving end
"Where'd it go though?"
"That way"
Fantastic
The word "catapult" simply means "to throw things downwards", and it does not apply to any single siege engine design. In fact it is more of a "catch-all" term that can apply to anything from the smallest ballista to the largest trebuchet - any device that can lauch a projectile through mechanically stored energy (as opposed to chemical propellants, air pressure or magnetic rail guns) and is not held by hand is a catapult. "Catapulta" on the other hand is specifically the term used by the romans for smaller siege engines that shot bolts, not stones.
We aren't roman, and we have our own definition for siege weapons.
Imagine standing against Roman legions in the field well outside of your bows shooting range and have this things raining on you. Each killing 2-3 men. No armor no shields would save you. And even if at the end of the day actual losses from this things would be insignificant, their impact on morale is huge.
Also I would love to have some actual numbers about this device like the weight of the bolt, energy it was carrying, how many times you could fire it before the ropes are done etc.
It's a Roman Wunderwaffe!
Imagine a legion rolling up to any place in that era and letting off a couple of these with tar-dipped bolts.
So you run into the woods and wait for the stupid Romans to chase after you. Lead them into a swamp and let loose.
@@handleismyhandle yeah, thats what the Romans were known for. Being stupid.
@@somecallmejorge2462 They were crafty, I'll give them that. Don't you know the story of Arminius though?
"His victory at Teutoburg Forest would precipitate the Roman Empire's permanent strategic withdrawal from Magna Germania, and made a major contribution to the eventual fall of the Western Roman Empire several centuries later. Modern historians have regarded Arminius' victory as Rome's greatest defeat."
I love how they all have their helmets and goggles on as if they would help them if something went wrong with THAT thing.
Damn, that thing is an ancient BEAST!! I wonder what the rate of fire was for the Romans?? No doubt the Barbarians found out .... the HARD way!
They got the point, at least
You know the Romans invented the high visibility safety helmet. Sadly forgotten by so many historians but these men remember. As Caeser said "be safe, be seen".
@@tods_workshop haha, that's a good point. At least they'll find your head with the helmet before a fox runs off with it.
@@tods_workshop Better than nothing mate. Also makes finding it much easier, and keeps all the bits in while they transport it.
Its possible kill a dragon with this ?
Lol, NO.
Because they don't exist...
But you can kill pretty much any other animal on earth with it.
No way. You wont even come close to even reaching it. This reaches maybe 50-60 meter off the ground.
I was just about to ask that too
Anyone who thinks you can is an abslolute idiot. Oh hey D&D
Yes. And apparently it can go right through fucking boats too.
Guy causally flying helicopter, looking around and enjoying the scenery: “Wow, it’s such a beautiful day out-wait, what’s that over there? Let me just fly a little clo- OH GOD OH FU-“
1:15 That ground to air ballista attack was insane, crashing the helicopter in one shot
Imagine the unfortunate warriors that got hit by that😢😢😢😢
People... Horses... You name it. Anything in a tight formation was in TROUBLE.
They diddnt make them this big, they were about half the size of these
@@Jooba1776 first of all stop spreading misinformation and do some bloody research before you start speaking ballistas came in all sizes this one looks like a above average size maybe even average but def not the biggest the biggesf ballista made was able to shoot a stone weighing 80kilo
@@vassowned7768 I was there, they were smaller
Pure awesomeness!!! GREAT JOB FELLAS!!!
Love that they are wearing helmets, and that the cameraman keeps a healthy distance.
Imagine an instant catapult legolas
Joerg..... Make one..... Please
I'm not sure I want to...
Ancient 30mm catapulta cannon.
Let me show you its features
@@grzegorzstyrna26 you beat me to it.
1:06
I thought you were gonna try and shoot down the heliopter.
What a satisfying sound it makes. Love it
250M to 300M isn't near the range I thought this beast would have.
Beautiful workmanship either way.
It’s a medieval anti-aircraft weapon
Taking out carrier pigeons.
that thing is nuts
Когда появился звук вертолета я подумал 'а вот и мишень')))
Parádní věc.... mnoho přesných zásahů
I love the hard hats - because if something breaks, decapitates you, and your heads rolls away; it would be a pity to muss up your hair.
Yes, good thinking, let's ignore the small risk that we can minimize just because there are bigger risk that we can't. After all, decapitation is the only outcome, glancing blows and splinters can't happen.
some german dude: Imagen getting nailed to a tree by one of these
Jesus: "Hold my Germanic beer."
That was extremely satisfying and entertaining to watch.
Those guys should be very proud of themselves. They did an amazing job.
Always happens, one kid on the block gets the latest toy, every one comes out to play!!
Where did you got this plans from? Some colleges and me also want to build a ballista and this was the one we prefered...
Thanks for your answer.
We need one of these in high definition and slow motion.
Man you have the beast job ever!
So this is where the falling logs in my backyard comes from.
At 1:15 we hear a plane. At 1:21 we don't hear a plane. Coincidental? I don't think so.
ES LA PRIMERA Y UNICA REPICA REALISTA QUE E VISTO, DESDE EL PUNTO DE VISTA TECNICO, BUEN TRABAJO
Great guys!
I love that they are wearing hard hats, as if that will protect them.
It would deffo do more than no hat.
Put a GoPro on the front of a bolt. I know balance issues but...
It would end up buried in the ground and probably demolished on impact.
Quite compact and mobile. And, if my assumptions are right, the forces in action are applied on a more symetrical horizontal plane than many other weapons of the era making it stable and precise. Using ropes as energy accumulator instead of bent wood make this weapon also highly serviceable. Change the ropes and it is still good to go. Clever.
Just imagine going to war and having the man next to you get impaled by this thing from half a mile away. Insane.
Imagine a row of these firing directly at you from 100m all at once - no armour, no shield absolutely nothing can protect you. The Romans knew how to make war. These weapons weren't primarily about killing efficiency - they struck fear in to the enemy when they saw their fellow warriors get skewered by a bolt like that. The machine itself is amazing and well done for recreating it. The hard hats and safety gear, not so much! Just dress like Romans and have some balls ;)
What I took from this video is the "ooos" and "ahhhs" as the thing was fired from the guys gathered around even if you was a "barbarian" say a simple gaul you still couldn't fail to be impressed I'd suggest...cheers now
what a life you live bro.. good on ya
People in the house behind the hedge: "They're getting closer Ian!"
Through a megaphone out the window: "Alright! alright! we'll subscribe already!"
I had visions of this taking out the helicopter lol
now if you could just rig the projectiles w/ explosives/ firecrackers that would be sweet
Уважуха мужикам за реконструкцию.
What a job that was!
these guys would be dead already cranking that slow
So ... what do you do for fun ?
I go out an socialize.
I sky dive.
I date girls.
I drive.
I go home and shoot my roman ballista !
totally not gei
Ballista Skorpio. Well done! (Always wanted one, no Idea what I'd do with it, but it is what it is.)
Brilliant!
There's ancient Roman and Greek artillery, and then there's modern egghead and geek artillery.
That thing is badass! I always thought they were designed to shoot farther than a longbow, what benefit does this have over a bow? He heavier bolt may kill one man faster but I can't see much more of a benefit? What am I missing?
+raykak No, their purpose was to cover siege engines such as rams, by shooting on the defenders.
Both the ballista and the catapulta (and the scorpio, which is a smaller catapult) shoot on infantry and on defenders on the walls (and sometimes on other machines). And neither of them were to destroy walls, contrary to popular belief. At best, they shaked walls, like the great ballistae of Alexander did at Tyr.
Good points, I'd like to look back in time to see how they were really deployed.
This is not unfounded. Here is an excerpt of the Cambridge History of greek and roman warfare vol.2, p. 151. (And you can find confirmation in Marsden 1969 - see the index. Both books can be found online. Also I invite you to give me some ancient sources that disprove my point) :
"The stone-throwing ballistae could cause damage to walls, but both types of catapult were essentially anti-personnel devices; the bolt-shooting scorpiones provided rapid, accurate fire at defenders on the walls while the ballistae had a slower rate of fire because of their size, and were probably less accurate, but could project stone missiles over city walls, bringing terror and death to civilians as well as those under arms (Joseph. BJ 3.257). Both types could protect the besiegers from counterattacks. Under this covering fire and with additional protection from mobile shelters the besiegers could approach the walls and attempt to scale them with ladders, undermine them, knock holes in them with battering rams, or if the walls were particularly high or well protected, build a siege ramp to access them and a mobile siege tower with battering ram to breach them."
+Eugene, that's the kind of answers I find but I'm not sure I believe them. I can't see this thing being "rapid and accurate", compared to a longbow. It doesn't even shoot farther than a longbow. A longbow would shoot faster, more accurate, and at least as far. I can't see this thing doing much damage to a stone wall either, there had to be a reason for it that we aren't thinking of.
you're Awesome Tod!
Did anyone notice the use of authentic early Roman language at various points. Excellent !
Hearing the helicopter made me think they where in empire earth.
Isn't a ballista a guy who prepares coffee in china?
Yeh
Yes, but only in China.
no you moron that's a barista
*whoosh*
patman0250 You more on the Chinese have a hard time pronouncing R sounds.
That sound is sick
All Rome will be amazed at such victory! The day is ours!
Was it used for dragon hunting?
Osy999 I can’t tell if this is a joke
*Growly noises*
look good for sigeing Jerusalem
Lobster Mobster lets swing by Antioch first.
Would be a waste of time and energy on that shithole
Most likely used by the roman Legion back when they did
What no one thought to bring a proper camera 😂
I think the hoarded would be upon thee by the time you reloaded , imagine having to dodge that large slow moving stick 😮😂😂😂
awesome stuff
2:00 - а}{уеть!
Тоже услышал))
Anyone here after the latest episode of got 😂😂😂
@@tods_workshop nice work with a lot of screen time :)
The sound... wow
Great job
Great video, but please, don't load it before drawing the string back.
The other way round is way more dangerous. You'd have to be mad to want to get near that thing once it's cranked down.
Rhaegal :(
F
Soon as I heard the plane sound and the release angle I was like please o please!
Ballistae in all of their shape were the terror of any battlefield. I read about a Chinese variant of the Ballista that incorporated THREE bows to launch missiles to a recorded maximum of 1,100 meters!! This particular weapon however could only be practically used from a wall and its size made it very impractical to move and build on the field.
DEUS VULT!!!
this one is just a gastrafetes styled oversized impractical machine. it is to big and slow
***** i know. i mean that this isn't a roman ballista, this is an oversized gastrafites with some minor changes
*****
yes i know i was joking! it is oversized though!
MrPanos2000 actually it is a proper roman ballista, about the sizing i guess it depends, but i don't think it's oversized, there were even bigger ones, the "Hatra Monster" was 2 metres wide xD
Excellent
good to see the Romans had the right idea about safety and ensured hard hats were worn
too lazy to walk 300 meters? haha
you are INSANE tod!!!
Fire for effect baby!!!!
A video of very cinematic views of the sky and undulating fields in the UK.
These machines are awesome. My ballista threw a 3 mina stone 265 yards, and it wasn't even fully torqued up to full power in in the half-springs. You can squeeze a lot more power in that catapulta if the cord bundles are pre-tensioned properly.
@Abu Troll al cockroachistan It all depends on scale. Composite flexion engines (bows) cannot be made larger than about 3" diameter and approximately 9' in length without stresses exceeding the strength limits of horn, wood, and sinew. Large engines need to be torsion engines, which are more efficient and powerful. Small torsion engines like the cheiroballistra were made, but the complexity of a small torsion engine makes flexion engines more appealing on the small end of the scale.
Torsion engines are more efficient, but complicated and expensive to make, even small ones. You pick the right tool for the job.
Always wanted to see one of these things fire a whistling shot.
Imagine being hit by that. That thing is insane! And there were ones that were even bigger.
The more they tighten it the more kinetic energy they are adding. Wow
@Green Lizard no. 😎
@Green Lizard I just like military equipment.