African Catapult For Comment [Archive] - Ethnographic Arms & Armour

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Lew

9th February 2009, 11:38 AM

Picked this up last week Attye tribe carved catapult from the Ivory Coast. :)

Bill M

9th February 2009, 01:36 PM

Recently had a conversation with a well-known African collector about catapults/sling shots and their age. It is his feeling that the ones he saw were powered by inner tubes and could be no older than that.

I'd like to believe otherwise, however slings and slingshots of real antiquity were not made on a "Y" shaped piece of wood.

I like the piece that Lew has presented here and would like to know more about them. Hoping that some of our more knowledgeable (than me) friends here will chime in with their opinions and knowledge.

Lew

9th February 2009, 02:05 PM

Bill

I am pretty sure these are no older than 1940-50s :confused: but rubber tubing has been around for a while. ;)

RUBBER BAND
The first rubber band was made in 1845 by Stephen Perry of the rubber manufacturing company Messers Perry and Co., in London, England. This rubber band was made of vulcanized rubber. Perry invented the rubber band to hold papers or envelopes together.

Lew

katana

9th February 2009, 02:07 PM

Hi Bill,
we discussed catapults in this thread.....I think the major confusion is the use of the term 'slingshot' and 'catapult'. Lew's example is a catapult likely early-mid 19th C but certainly not older than the 1910's. The slingshot is a totally different 'animal'......a length of cord with a 'pouch' in the middle...which is swung to launch a projectile....which was first used thousands of years ago.

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=3873&highlight=catapults

Regards David

Bill M

9th February 2009, 02:20 PM

Good points. I though that the term "sling" was the weapon with a pouch in the middle and ropes on each end of the pouch, while "slingshot" was the "Y" shaped piece.

Also stand corrected on the age of rubber bands.

On March 17, 1845, Stephen Perry of the rubber manufacturing company Messers Perry and Co, Rubber Co Manuf London patented the fist rubber bands made of vulcanized rubber. Perry invented the rubber band to hold papers or envelopes together.

Source:
http://www.versteegde.nl/Bambustic/RubberBands/index.html

David,
Thanks for the link to my Timor piece. Had forgotten about posting it.

Atlantia

9th February 2009, 02:27 PM

The slingshot is a totally different 'animal'......a length of cord with a 'pouch' in the middle...which is swung to launch a projectile....which was first used thousands of years ago.

Regards David

LOL, I had to smile about being taught about slingshots by a 'David'.

Lew

9th February 2009, 02:51 PM

David,
Thanks for the link to my Timor piece. Had forgotten about posting it.

Bill

This is the first sign of having too many collectables when you forget what you have and have posted. :eek: :D

Lew

katana

9th February 2009, 03:15 PM

Thanks for the reference on 'rubber bands' .....made earlier than I had thought.
The references to African catapults stated that used tyre inner-tubes were used as 'bands' (re-CYCLING :rolleyes: ) and AFAIK these were not widely available in Africa until very early 19th C.

LOL, I had to smile about being taught about slingshots by a 'David'.

:D ...hadn't thought of it that way . 'Modern' Davids prefer the 'high tech' counter weighted, silicon banded catapult......unfortunately there are no 'modern' Goliaths to slay.... ;)

Regards David

VANDOO

9th February 2009, 04:50 PM

IF YOU SEARCH THE INTERNET FOR (THE SLINGSHOT MAN) YOU MAY FIND A FILM OF A SHOOTING DEMONSTRATION WORTHY OF ANNIE OAKLEY USING A SLING SHOT. IN THE HANDS OF AN EXPERT THESE THINGS CAN BE DEADLY.

LOOKING AT THE PICTURES OF THE EXAMPLE ABOVE IT WOULD APPEAR THIS MAN RODE HORSES ALL HIS LIFE, HOW ELSE COULD HE HAVE GOTTON SO BOWLEGGED. REMINDS ME OF A FRIEND OF MINE. :D

David

9th February 2009, 07:09 PM

......unfortunately there are no 'modern' Goliaths to slay.... ;)

Ah, if only that were the case... :)

katana

9th February 2009, 08:54 PM

Good points. I though that the term "sling" was the weapon with a pouch in the middle and ropes on each end of the pouch, while "slingshot" was the "Y" shaped piece.

David,
Thanks for the link to my Timor piece. Had forgotten about posting it.

Hi Bill,
it seems that slingshot is widely used in the US and Canada to describe a catapult. You are correct in that sling is generally used..(to name the 'throwing type')...but have seen the term slingshot in references describing the use of slings....which makes it quite confusing.

......unfortunately there are no 'modern' Goliaths to slay.... ;)

Regards David

Ah, if only that were the case... :)

:D ;)

Regards

Jim McDougall

9th February 2009, 10:33 PM