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Old 10-31-2018, 05:32 PM   #18
Verjigorm
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Charlotte, North Caroline, United States of America, Earth?
Default Re: Slings!

Quote:
Originally Posted by swordtart View Post
Small islands might have limited resources (Iron / Bronze) but they never have a shortage of rocks and plant fibres to make string. You might have dedicated war reserves of scarce resources, but fielding effective troops also means you have to invest resources in training. You can lunch hundreds of rocks into the into the sea for practically no cost.

An island nation would also prefer to fight off invaders while they were vulnerable wading ashore (or standing off in boats) rather than wait until they actually step onto dry land. With a decent headland you might even have better range than they do. Recall also that you can use a sling with a shield but using a bow with a shield is much harder (or impossible)

As for Hoplites, you have to invest significant resources in armour and weapons. Surely you would reserve those expensive troops for their intended role rather than waste them as mere rock lobbers. If you gave them a long range missile capability they might be inclined to use it rather than close to melee or javelin range as they should (which is why regular armies frown at bringing your own weaponry).

As Hoplites were traditionally free citizens (i.e. city dwellers and propertied farmers) and comparatively wealthy and thus may not have spent their youth out in the boonies lobbing rocks at wolves. As their fathers were also likely hoplites would not any youthful training/emulation have been in the weaponry of that class of citizen (i.e. the spear and sword) rather than the weapons of a peasant?
In the Anabasis, Xenophon specifically calls out that the Rhodian hoplites had their own slings, and were enticed to serve as slingers through extra pay.
Quote:
...There are, I hear, some Rhodians in our army, the greater number of whom, they say, understand the use of the sling, while their weapon carries even double the distance of the Persian sling, 17. which, as they sling with large stones, reach only a short distance, while the Rhodians know how to use leaden bullets. 18. If then, we ascertain which of them have slings, and give money to each of them[141] for them; and pay money also to any one who is willing to plait more, and find some other privilege[142] for him who consents to serve in the troop of slingers,[143] possibly some will offer themselves who may be able to be of service to us. 19. I see also that there are horses in the army, some in my possession, and some left by Clearchus, besides many others taken from the enemy which are employed in carrying the baggage. If, then, we collect all these, and put ordinary baggage-cattle in their place, and equip the horses for riders, they will perhaps annoy the enemy in their flight." 20. These suggestions were approved; and that very night there came forward slingers to the number of two hundred. The next day, as many as fifty horsemen and horses were pronounced fit for service; leathern jackets[144] and breastplates[Pg 94] were furnished to them; and Lycius the son of Polystratus an Athenian, was appointed their captain.
These Rhodians were hoplites, not slingers, but clearly had the necessary skills to act as slingers. Additionally, it points out that 50 of the hoplites were converted into cavalrymen, which again, supposes that they had existing skills.

Bows have been used with shields by various peoples through-out history, especially the Scythians, which the Greeks would have been in close contact, as trade from the Chersonos region of the black sea was fundamental to several Greek states.

Slings are universally useful for agarian people, especially to keep birds from the seeds when a field was sown. A person of hoplite class almost assuredly would have grown up working in his father's fields. The skill would be easily acquired and widely dissemenated, in order that the Rhodians were renowned as slingers, to the point that they had twice the range of persian slingers, who in turn, outranged Cretans.
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