The Gastraphetes

[Eleatic Guest]

There is a well preserved Gastraphetes in the Classical Greek exhibit in the War Museum of Athens.

No offense at all intended, but flatly I do not believe that. It must be either a modern reconstruction or another type of ancient or medieval crossbow. There are some here, who would jump out of joy in a triangle, if you were correct. Do you have pics or other kind of evidence?

[Susanne]

Well, my friend. You may be correct. It's not identical to Classical Gastraphetes but here goes:

[Eleatic Guest]

Well, my friend. You may be correct. It's not identical to Classical Gastraphetes but here goes:

Errr...where? wink:

[Susanne]

Did you click on the attachment? For some reason the image itself just won't appear in the thread.

[Paullus Scipio]

A reconstruction....and of Heron's cheiroballistra, circa second half of 1st century A.D. and similar in design to the catapults on Trajan's column - the winch, pawls and base were not described in Heron's incomplete work, and it has been reconstructed in this case as a type of belly-bow/gastraphetes, which is unlikely since the machine was rather too powerful, being a torsion machine, to have been loaded/cocked by leaning on it.......unlike Zopyrus' gastraphetes of the early 4thC B.C. approximately, which had a composite bow which has been the subject of this thread.

[Eleatic Guest]

Did you click on the attachment? For some reason the image itself just won't appear in the thread.

Interesting. It is a torsion weapon, though, not a flexible bow as the gastraphetes featured. What does the museum's description say?

[Susanne]

Did you click on the attachment? For some reason the image itself just won't appear in the thread.

Interesting. It is a torsion weapon, though, not a flexible bow as the gastraphetes featured. What does the museum's description say?

It was all Greek to me. Really, the description signs in the showcases lacked in decent descriptions in English.

[hoplite14gr]

Gastefetes and other war machines exist as scale model reconstructions.
The large crossbow is a Venetian 16th century steel crossbow from Cyprus.

Kind regards

[Susanne]

Well, scrap everything I said about it being well preserved.

On a side note, we found parts belonging to a medieval crossbow on a Swedish dig I was part of this summer. The trigger mechanism, and the "nut" made from antlers that kept the string in place. Not a Gastraphetes though...

[D B Campbell]

It was all Greek to me. Really, the description signs in the showcases lacked in decent descriptions in English.

Understandable mistake, Susanne. If it's in a museum, you'd think it was a genuine piece.

Interesting reconstruction, though. It obviously dates from some time after the 1970s, when Dietwulf Baatz presented the cheiroballistra as a gastraphetes-type belly-shooter.

It would be nice to know what archaeological finds they based their torsion-springs (kambestria) on. Anyone near the Athens War Museum?

[Eleatic Guest]

It would be nice to know what archaeological finds they based their torsion-springs (kambestria) on. Anyone near the Athens War Museum?

I say we should really estabilsh a corner in the forum, where users can announce museum trips and exchange / ask for this kind of information. We have so many people here visiting regularly museums, why not coordinate things a bit for the benefit of all?

[Danny Grigg]

On Flickr there's a beautiful looking replica of a Gastraphetes:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7455207@N0 ... 428957366/

Does anyone have any further pics of this Gastraphetes?
Can anyone read the blurry signs / information in the pic?


Thanks

Danny

[D B Campbell]

The ones in the foreground are Schramm's original reconstructions. The gastraphetes looks like Schramm's stock with a new bow. I wonder when they did that?