Uploaded March 2025 | Updated September 2026, 6 days ago
Incendiary trebuchet darts were real!!!!! (or at least I believe they were).
Trebuchets were the pinnacle of siege weapons in the 13thC and 14thC but we usually think of them as shooting rocks, baskets of rocks, rotting sheep etc, but the Islamic nations also shot darts. I have tried it before but with mixed success. But I have been sent a translation of a Mameluke text where they say where the hook should be placed and that they threw inflammable mixtures attached to the darts.
Time to revisit - with very mixed and somewhat dangerous results...........
For pilum heads todcutler.com/products/roman-pilum
For excellent quality historical replicas including merch todcutler.com
For historical commissions and custom todsworkshop.com
For Tods Workshop and Tod Cutler merch including Running man targets, t-shirts etc. todcutler.com/collections/tods-merchandise
For those who enjoyed Arrows vs Armour todtodeschini.com
We have a Patreon page and if you liked this and wish to support the channel please consider having a look patreon.com/c/TodsWorkshop
PAUL E. CHEVEDDEN
AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF SHARJAH
Black Camels and Blazing Bolts: The Bolt-Projecting Trebuchet
in the Mamluk Army pp235-7
If you want to shoot bolts (nushsha_b)—some of which are filled with inflammable material (al-na_r) and sticky gums (or resins) (liza_qa_t) and others are not—from a trebuchet (manjan|q) [do as follows]. If you want that [i.e., to shoot bolts], put a hook (kulla_b)14 at the center of gravity (‘idl) of the bolt (al-nushsha_b).
Incendiary trebuchet darts were real!!!!! (or at least I believe they were).
Trebuchets were the pinnacle of siege weapons in the 13thC and 14thC but we usually think of them as shooting rocks, baskets of rocks, rotting sheep etc, but the Islamic nations also shot darts. I have tried it before but with mixed success. But I have been sent a translation of a Mameluke text where they say where the hook should be placed and that they threw inflammable mixtures attached to the darts.
Time to revisit - with very mixed and somewhat dangerous results...........
For pilum heads todcutler.com/products/roman-pilum
For excellent quality historical replicas including merch todcutler.com
For historical commissions and custom todsworkshop.com
For Tods Workshop and Tod Cutler merch including Running man targets, t-shirts etc. todcutler.com/collections/tods-merchandise
For those who enjoyed Arrows vs Armour todtodeschini.com
We have a Patreon page and if you liked this and wish to support the channel please consider having a look patreon.com/c/TodsWorkshop
PAUL E. CHEVEDDEN
AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF SHARJAH
Black Camels and Blazing Bolts: The Bolt-Projecting Trebuchet
in the Mamluk Army pp235-7
If you want to shoot bolts (nushsha_b)—some of which are filled with inflammable material (al-na_r) and sticky gums (or resins) (liza_qa_t) and others are not—from a trebuchet (manjan|q) [do as follows]. If you want that [i.e., to shoot bolts], put a hook (kulla_b)14 at the center of gravity (‘idl) of the bolt (al-nushsha_b).
