12-12-2007, 09:07 PM
Somehow I missed your posts last month, Randi. I'm glad to see that you're making progress. 
But, as you've obviously discovered, Vitruvius seems to use this word for the drum of the winch. I wonder if this is perhaps a mistake in the manuscript tradition. (Goodness knows, there are enough problems in this manuscript already!) It would be peculiar for the same word to be applied to a component that moves in two planes (the tilt-and-swivel joint), and to a component that simply turns (the winch drum). Hmmm. :?
Quote:... carchesium pics.You confused me with talk of the carchesium, which is the name usually given to the component that Marsden calls the "universal joint". That's the must-have tilt-and-swivel mechanism on the stand of a regular catapult (and also found on cranes).
But, as you've obviously discovered, Vitruvius seems to use this word for the drum of the winch. I wonder if this is perhaps a mistake in the manuscript tradition. (Goodness knows, there are enough problems in this manuscript already!) It would be peculiar for the same word to be applied to a component that moves in two planes (the tilt-and-swivel joint), and to a component that simply turns (the winch drum). Hmmm. :?
