Slings, poison darts, the rohmphea and the bow
Antique missile weapons, with lore from Aulus Gellius on the flaming rohmphea and the reed-arrow bow
The sheet gathers antique missile weapons drawn faintly in ink and metalpoint: a sling (fromba) on tripod frames at the top left, the flaming-timber rohmphea on its stand at the right, several arrows and darts down the left side, and a bow at the foot. Leonardo distinguishes the shaft that stays on the cord from the dart that flies away (a b c), describes a barbed dart that cannot be drawn out unless the wound is enlarged, and a poison dart with a hollow three-sided head. Citing Aulus Gellius, he says the rohmphea, which throws long flaming timbers, was used by the Thracians and elsewhere called flammea. A closing note on the bow gives its legendary origins in Arcadia or with Apollo and describes Eastern archers whose reed arrows darken the day.
On this page
Sling and concealed charge (fromba, moschette)
A sling (fromba) is drawn on tripod frames. The note describes fixing something beneath the ground with its branches and stakes, tamping the earth heaped over it layer by layer after first digging a wide pit, and names moschette (small darts).
Two-part arrow (a b c)
The arrow a b remains attached to the cord while the dart b c is the part that flies away.
Barbed and poison darts
One dart cannot be pulled out unless the wound has first been enlarged. Another is a poison dart whose iron head is three-sided and hollow in the middle.
The rohmphea, thrower of flaming timbers
The rohmphea is an instrument that casts long flaming timbers out of itself. Citing Aulus Gellius, Leonardo says it was used among the peoples of Thrace and elsewhere called flammea.
The bow and its antique lore
The bow is said to have been invented in Arcadia, or by Apollo, and is called Scythian by the Cretans. Eastern peoples use it much, their reed arrows so filling the air in battle that day seems night, so that they hate cloud, rain and wind and often make truces because of them.