Of Scorpions & Sliders

[P. Clodius Secundus]

Well, I've read many of the available texts including Marsden's, but yours is the first mention I've seen of the "bug-on-a-pin" explanation for the name scorpion. It's also the first time it's been connected with the cheiroballistra. It's generally accepted that the two were vastly different weapons. If you can direct me to the source of that info it would be very helpful. I've had debates with folks in the past whether the scorpion was a direct line-of-sight or long-range plunging-fire weapon. Sometime around 380 AD Ammianus wrote "The design of the scorpion, which they now call the onager, is as follows." This indicates that the term was applied differently throughout the Roman Era. Aitor's little masterpiece of a weapon was originally configured as an out-swinger, but after further research he later converted it to an in-swinger.