The ancient Greek machine gun, the polybolos, is one of the most fascinating warfare inventions in antiquity, shooting and reloading multiple bolts.
The Greek word “polybolos” (Greek: πoλύβολος) translates to “firing many shots.” In actuality, the weapon was a variant of the ballista, which was allegedly created in the third century BC by Dionysius of Alexandria, the Greek engineer who worked at the Rhodes arsenal.
Greek engineer and physicist Philo of Byzantium (c. 280 BC – c. 220 BC) left a detailed description of the ancient Greek machine gun. The polybolos possessed gears that powered its chain drive, the oldest known application of such a mechanism, which placed bolt after bolt into its firing slot. It was the most complex weapon system of its time, a fine example of ancient Greek technology.
The mechanism of the ancient Greek machine gun
The mechanism is distinct in that a flat-link chain attached to a windlass powers it. The weapon was able to automatically shoot a series of bolts stored in a wooden magazine stored over the bolt case that could hold upwards of fifteen bolts at a time. A mechanism allowed the user to reload and tighten the chord with the help of a gear and chain. The polybolos could repetitively fire shots without the user having to manually stretch the chord to the shot position.
The cylinder table was moved forward to the bow string when a fresh bolt was loaded by rotating the windlass counter-clockwise while the trigger claw was elevated. A metal lug then pressed the trigger beneath the trigger claw. The thread was covered by the closed claw. The cylinder table and bow string were drawn back when the windlass was turned clockwise after the string had been locked into the trigger mechanism.
As the magazine was pulled to the rear of the polybolos, a circular wooden pole in the bottom rotated downward into the cylinder table, dropping a single bolt into the tray, ready to fire. Another lug, similar to the one that secured the string in place, was encountered as the cylinder table was drawn further back. The ancient Greek machine gun’s cycle is repeated when that lug presses the trigger, automatically firing the polybolos.
Given the weapon’s approximate first known appearance, the ancient Greek machine gun is a stunning invention in terms of European technology. To cause the trigger to catch and then release the bowstring, advanced mechanisms were employed.
Evidence of polybolos use in Pompeii?
Markings found on Pompeii‘s walls by Italian experts may be the earliest indication of polybolos use.
In a new study published in the Nexus Network Journal, researchers, led by Adriana Rossi of the University of Campania, discovered and examined tiny holes in the stones in the vicinity of the gates of Vesuvius and Herculaneum on the northern wall of Pompeii.
As though the missiles that generated the markings had been fired in bursts, they show up in clusters of four or five. With handheld weapons or conventional crossbows, this would have been challenging to accomplish. It is unlikely that the square or diamond-shaped markings would resemble the impact patterns of stones fired by traditional catapults. Rather, they seem to have been produced by metal projectiles or arrows.
The researchers claim that because the marks are consistent and aligned, a repeating machine was utilized. According to the experts, these might have been created by a polybolos that was employed when the Roman General Sulla successfully besieged Pompeii in 89 BC. The symbols on the walls would fit the historical description of the ancient Greek machine gun despite no physical traces having been discovered.
