1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:06,640 Speaker 1: Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of iHeart Radio, Hey brain 2 00:00:06,680 --> 00:00:11,320 Speaker 1: Stuff Lauren Vogelbaum. Here. In the year thirteen o four CE, 3 00:00:11,440 --> 00:00:15,200 Speaker 1: King Edward, the First of England, laid siege to Sterling Castle, 4 00:00:15,600 --> 00:00:19,240 Speaker 1: home of the last holdouts of a Scottish rebellion. Behind 5 00:00:19,280 --> 00:00:22,720 Speaker 1: the castle's thick walls, Sir William Oliphant and his Scottish 6 00:00:22,720 --> 00:00:26,920 Speaker 1: loyalists endured months of aerial bombardment from perhaps the greatest 7 00:00:26,960 --> 00:00:30,760 Speaker 1: collection of siege engines the world had ever seen. Edward 8 00:00:30,800 --> 00:00:34,160 Speaker 1: had ordered all Scottish churches stripped of their lead, which 9 00:00:34,200 --> 00:00:37,640 Speaker 1: was used to build powerful catapults called trebishes, the largest 10 00:00:37,680 --> 00:00:40,320 Speaker 1: of which could hurl boulders weighing over three hundred pounds 11 00:00:40,440 --> 00:00:43,800 Speaker 1: that's over a hundred and forty kilos. The greatest of 12 00:00:43,880 --> 00:00:48,920 Speaker 1: edwards trebishes was christened Ludgar, or the war Wolf. The 13 00:00:48,960 --> 00:00:53,000 Speaker 1: war Wolf required five master carpenters and fifty workmen to build, 14 00:00:53,360 --> 00:00:56,280 Speaker 1: and was so terrifying in scale that Oliphant had no 15 00:00:56,440 --> 00:01:00,000 Speaker 1: choice but to surrender. But not so fast, said Edward. 16 00:01:00,360 --> 00:01:03,440 Speaker 1: He wanted to fire the war Wolf first, and even 17 00:01:03,480 --> 00:01:06,360 Speaker 1: built a special viewing platform so ladies of his court 18 00:01:06,480 --> 00:01:08,919 Speaker 1: would have a good view of the destruction it wrought. 19 00:01:10,200 --> 00:01:13,240 Speaker 1: But we spoke with William Gerstell, a science journalist and 20 00:01:13,319 --> 00:01:17,080 Speaker 1: author of the Art of the Catapult. He explained, Edward 21 00:01:17,120 --> 00:01:20,559 Speaker 1: almost bankrupted himself building all these trebishes, and by God 22 00:01:20,640 --> 00:01:24,560 Speaker 1: he was going to use them in a theatrical display 23 00:01:24,560 --> 00:01:27,319 Speaker 1: of domination. Edward pulled the trigger on the war Wolf, 24 00:01:27,720 --> 00:01:31,240 Speaker 1: sending its massive projectile arching through the sky and crashing 25 00:01:31,319 --> 00:01:34,039 Speaker 1: through the castle's twelve ft thick walls. That's about three 26 00:01:34,080 --> 00:01:37,880 Speaker 1: and a half meters of stone. The rebellion was officially over, 27 00:01:38,319 --> 00:01:41,319 Speaker 1: and Edward had earned himself a new nickname, the Hammer 28 00:01:41,480 --> 00:01:45,800 Speaker 1: of the Scots. Before gunpowder was popularized in the mid 29 00:01:45,840 --> 00:01:49,480 Speaker 1: fourteenth century, there were no cannons to launch heavy lead 30 00:01:49,480 --> 00:01:53,279 Speaker 1: balls through enemies and their walls, but that didn't stop 31 00:01:53,360 --> 00:01:57,000 Speaker 1: creative warfarers from devising ways to toss stuff at each other. 32 00:01:57,840 --> 00:02:00,920 Speaker 1: One of the most effective was the catapult, a device 33 00:02:01,000 --> 00:02:03,880 Speaker 1: that uses a spring loaded arm or a heavy counterweight 34 00:02:04,080 --> 00:02:08,240 Speaker 1: to hurl large objects over great distances. There are three 35 00:02:08,280 --> 00:02:11,840 Speaker 1: general types of catapults. The first, called a ballista or 36 00:02:11,919 --> 00:02:15,760 Speaker 1: tension catapult, looks like an oversized crossbow and works on 37 00:02:15,800 --> 00:02:18,720 Speaker 1: the same principles generating force from the tension of the 38 00:02:18,760 --> 00:02:21,960 Speaker 1: bow arms. The ballista was invented by the Greeks around 39 00:02:22,040 --> 00:02:26,840 Speaker 1: three b c E. The second, known as the monitor 40 00:02:27,200 --> 00:02:30,639 Speaker 1: or torsion catapult, gets its power from a ropelike bundle 41 00:02:30,720 --> 00:02:34,200 Speaker 1: of animal sinew and hair. The rope is twisted tightly 42 00:02:34,280 --> 00:02:38,040 Speaker 1: to create torsion, which when released, generates enough force to 43 00:02:38,200 --> 00:02:42,120 Speaker 1: launch a small projectile from a catapult arm. The Romans 44 00:02:42,200 --> 00:02:45,200 Speaker 1: named the monitor after a wild donkey that delivered an 45 00:02:45,320 --> 00:02:50,520 Speaker 1: especially strong kick. The third type of catapult is the trebishe, 46 00:02:50,720 --> 00:02:54,160 Speaker 1: perhaps the simplest yet most powerful catapult of all. The 47 00:02:54,320 --> 00:02:57,600 Speaker 1: arm of a trebishe is actually a long lever that 48 00:02:57,760 --> 00:03:00,960 Speaker 1: swung into motion by pulling downward with ropes or dropping 49 00:03:00,960 --> 00:03:04,560 Speaker 1: a heavy counterweight. While trebishe is a French word, the 50 00:03:04,600 --> 00:03:07,400 Speaker 1: technology is believed to have originated in China in the 51 00:03:07,400 --> 00:03:12,360 Speaker 1: first couple of centuries c. The very earliest trebishes, unlike 52 00:03:12,440 --> 00:03:14,519 Speaker 1: those first used in China and later in Europe in 53 00:03:14,560 --> 00:03:18,040 Speaker 1: the early Middle Ages, were people powered, meaning the lever 54 00:03:18,200 --> 00:03:20,280 Speaker 1: arm of the catapult was swung by a group of 55 00:03:20,320 --> 00:03:23,840 Speaker 1: soldiers pulling on a rope. But the real innovation in 56 00:03:23,880 --> 00:03:27,280 Speaker 1: trebische technology came in the twelfth century with the advent 57 00:03:27,360 --> 00:03:31,400 Speaker 1: of the counterweight trebische. We also spoke with Michael Fulton, 58 00:03:31,560 --> 00:03:34,840 Speaker 1: a history professor at Langara College in British Columbia an 59 00:03:34,920 --> 00:03:39,360 Speaker 1: author of siege warfare during the Crusades. He explained that 60 00:03:39,440 --> 00:03:43,080 Speaker 1: an elevated basket is weighted with hundreds or even thousands 61 00:03:43,080 --> 00:03:46,960 Speaker 1: of pounds of rocks. That's the counterweight. When the basket 62 00:03:47,040 --> 00:03:49,760 Speaker 1: is dropped, it pulls down on a rope connected to 63 00:03:49,760 --> 00:03:52,480 Speaker 1: the short end of a long lever arm that swings 64 00:03:52,520 --> 00:03:56,040 Speaker 1: on an axle. He said, as the short end of 65 00:03:56,040 --> 00:03:59,080 Speaker 1: the lever is pulled down, the long end rises at 66 00:03:59,080 --> 00:04:02,160 Speaker 1: a proportionally light or rate. When you add a sling 67 00:04:02,240 --> 00:04:04,400 Speaker 1: at the end of the arm, you force the projectile 68 00:04:04,480 --> 00:04:07,160 Speaker 1: to travel even farther during the same amount of time, 69 00:04:07,400 --> 00:04:10,760 Speaker 1: which adds to your rate of acceleration. It's all really 70 00:04:10,760 --> 00:04:15,560 Speaker 1: basic physics at a fundamental level. Gristell has built plenty 71 00:04:15,560 --> 00:04:18,599 Speaker 1: of trebiches, including a d I Y design using wood 72 00:04:18,600 --> 00:04:22,279 Speaker 1: and PVC that he named Little Ludgar after Edwards Trebiche. 73 00:04:23,040 --> 00:04:26,160 Speaker 1: He said, the longer that lever and the heavier the weight, 74 00:04:26,480 --> 00:04:30,359 Speaker 1: the farther the projectile goes. He noted that the counterweight 75 00:04:30,400 --> 00:04:33,360 Speaker 1: has to weigh approximately a hundred times the object you're 76 00:04:33,360 --> 00:04:36,599 Speaker 1: trying to throw. Gerstell once made a trebiche with a 77 00:04:36,600 --> 00:04:39,720 Speaker 1: five pound or two hundred and twenty seven kilo counterweight 78 00:04:39,960 --> 00:04:43,600 Speaker 1: that was still only powerful enough to launch a small cantelope. 79 00:04:45,320 --> 00:04:48,279 Speaker 1: During the Middle Ages, the construction of fortified cities led 80 00:04:48,320 --> 00:04:52,080 Speaker 1: to a new type of military campaign, the siege. Laying 81 00:04:52,120 --> 00:04:55,120 Speaker 1: siege to a walled city required new war machines like 82 00:04:55,200 --> 00:04:59,040 Speaker 1: battering rams for splintering thick doors and siege towers for 83 00:04:59,240 --> 00:05:02,680 Speaker 1: reaching high balls, but one of the earliest and most 84 00:05:02,680 --> 00:05:07,160 Speaker 1: powerful innovations was the trebishe. One of the first recorded 85 00:05:07,240 --> 00:05:09,679 Speaker 1: uses of a trebische in battle was during the siege 86 00:05:09,680 --> 00:05:13,680 Speaker 1: of Thessalonica in the late sixth century CE. Thessalonica was 87 00:05:13,720 --> 00:05:17,359 Speaker 1: a Byzantine stronghold under attacked by the Avars, a collection 88 00:05:17,400 --> 00:05:20,400 Speaker 1: of Central Asian tribes who used a people powered trebische 89 00:05:20,640 --> 00:05:24,960 Speaker 1: that was likely inspired by ancient Chinese weaponry. But those 90 00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:29,280 Speaker 1: primitive traction trebisches could only launch small projectiles and functioned 91 00:05:29,279 --> 00:05:34,359 Speaker 1: as anti personnel weapons, not castle killers. Fulton explained traction 92 00:05:34,360 --> 00:05:37,760 Speaker 1: trebishes were like an archer on steroids. You're definitely not 93 00:05:37,839 --> 00:05:42,039 Speaker 1: smashing down solid walls in the early Middle Ages. That 94 00:05:42,200 --> 00:05:45,560 Speaker 1: would happen in the thirteenth century, when counterweight trebishes were 95 00:05:45,600 --> 00:05:48,599 Speaker 1: being built at larger and larger scales all across Europe. 96 00:05:49,680 --> 00:05:53,160 Speaker 1: Those truly massive trebisches would be constructed off site and 97 00:05:53,200 --> 00:05:56,920 Speaker 1: then assembled on the battlefield itself. While a counterweight trebisch 98 00:05:56,960 --> 00:05:59,560 Speaker 1: a could toss a boulder over a castle wall, there 99 00:05:59,600 --> 00:06:02,960 Speaker 1: were definitely trade offs. For one, it took a really 100 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:06,919 Speaker 1: long time to reload the counterweight. Fulton says that the 101 00:06:06,960 --> 00:06:10,360 Speaker 1: smaller traction trebishes could fire up to four shots a minute, 102 00:06:10,720 --> 00:06:13,160 Speaker 1: while the biggest trebishes were lucky to get off one 103 00:06:13,200 --> 00:06:18,320 Speaker 1: shot every half hour. Catapults and trebishes were not limited 104 00:06:18,360 --> 00:06:23,080 Speaker 1: to firing conventional projectiles like stones and lead balls. According 105 00:06:23,080 --> 00:06:26,680 Speaker 1: to one Lurid fourteenth century account, the Mongols used their 106 00:06:26,720 --> 00:06:30,400 Speaker 1: catapults to launch plague written corpses, an early type of bioweapon, 107 00:06:30,640 --> 00:06:34,520 Speaker 1: into a medieval city in modern day Ukraine. Other stories 108 00:06:34,560 --> 00:06:37,480 Speaker 1: tell of dead horses being slung by trebishe over castle 109 00:06:37,520 --> 00:06:41,400 Speaker 1: walls to sicken the enemy with the stench. But Fulton, 110 00:06:41,560 --> 00:06:44,640 Speaker 1: who has witnessed the forces unleashed during the throwing sequence 111 00:06:44,640 --> 00:06:47,800 Speaker 1: of a large Trebishe is skeptical about the accuracy of 112 00:06:47,800 --> 00:06:51,080 Speaker 1: such accounts. He said, if you try to put something 113 00:06:51,200 --> 00:06:54,280 Speaker 1: organic into one of those slings, chances are it's going 114 00:06:54,320 --> 00:06:56,960 Speaker 1: to be ripped apart before you can throw it effectively. 115 00:06:58,480 --> 00:07:01,080 Speaker 1: Fulton has more confidence in the hals of human heads 116 00:07:01,120 --> 00:07:03,560 Speaker 1: being logged back and forth by trebisches at the siege 117 00:07:03,560 --> 00:07:07,760 Speaker 1: of Nicia in ten during the First Crusade. He said 118 00:07:08,279 --> 00:07:12,920 Speaker 1: that was more psychological than biological. And when it comes 119 00:07:12,920 --> 00:07:16,080 Speaker 1: to incendiary weapons like Greek fire, which was a sort 120 00:07:16,120 --> 00:07:19,320 Speaker 1: of early napalm that involved pine tar, sulfur and naturally 121 00:07:19,320 --> 00:07:22,960 Speaker 1: occurring petroleum, but the recipe for which is lost, Fulton 122 00:07:23,080 --> 00:07:25,880 Speaker 1: says that he doubts that Edward or anyone else was 123 00:07:25,960 --> 00:07:30,000 Speaker 1: launching Greek fire bombs from trebises with any regularity. It 124 00:07:30,120 --> 00:07:32,440 Speaker 1: was more likely that castle defenders would try to fire 125 00:07:32,480 --> 00:07:35,480 Speaker 1: incendiaries at the trebishe to burn the weapon to the ground. 126 00:07:37,080 --> 00:07:41,120 Speaker 1: Though even if edwards legendary trebisch only launched rocks, there 127 00:07:41,240 --> 00:07:44,320 Speaker 1: simply was no siege weapon that was as terrifying to 128 00:07:44,360 --> 00:07:48,560 Speaker 1: the enemy and as entertaining to the troops. Fulton said 129 00:07:49,040 --> 00:07:51,480 Speaker 1: at a fundamental level, You're not going to build these 130 00:07:51,520 --> 00:07:54,600 Speaker 1: engines unless they have value, But there is value in 131 00:07:54,640 --> 00:07:58,440 Speaker 1: that intimidation factor. In general, kings like to have big 132 00:07:58,440 --> 00:08:06,200 Speaker 1: things they can show off. Today's episode was written by 133 00:08:06,280 --> 00:08:08,800 Speaker 1: Dave Ruse and produced by Tyler Clang. For more on 134 00:08:08,800 --> 00:08:10,760 Speaker 1: this and lots of other topics, visit how stuff works 135 00:08:10,800 --> 00:08:13,600 Speaker 1: dot com. Brain Stuff is production of iHeart Radio. Or 136 00:08:13,600 --> 00:08:15,600 Speaker 1: more podcasts from my heart Radio visit the i heart 137 00:08:15,640 --> 00:08:18,160 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 138 00:08:18,160 --> 00:08:18,840 Speaker 1: favorite shows.