RARE ROMAN BALLISTA BOLT HEAD, 200 BC-100 AD

Forged iron, over 5” length with sharpened back swept barbs over 4 ¼”. Butted seam conical socket. The Roman ballista was used with great effect and well documented during the reign of Julius Caesar during the conquest of Gaul (central modern Europe), 58-51 BC and invasions of Britain. A point of this size would not be necessary or made to bring down horses, much less men. As it is clearly a flesh cutter, it was not made to breach wood or masonry. The only adversary in the panoply of weapons of the period which would require a weapon of this magnitude was the war elephant. Hannibal famously invaded Rome in 218 BC by crossing the Alps with war elephants from Carthage (modern Libia) and war elephants were used extensively in Egypt which by this time has come under Roman rule. At the Battle of Heraclea, 280 BC, Romans were defeated by Epriots using war elephants. As a result, Romans developed anti elephant weapons and introduced war elephants into the ranks of the Roman military with decisive results.