
On the walls of Pompeii there are signs of the polybolos, a crossbow ancestor of the machine gun: the study
Close range impact holes. Credit: Rossi et al. On walls northern of Pompeiibetween Porta Vesuvio and Porta Ercolano, have been visible for decades ballistic impact footprints dating back tosiege conducted by Lucius Cornelius Sulla in the’89 BCduring the Social War (a civil conflict between Rome and some rebellious cities, including Pompeii). Alongside the classic circular cavities produced by spherical projectilesa ...








