Onagro . It is an ancient siege weapon of the catapult type, which had a torsion mechanism. The name of onager is a reference to the Asian wild ass of the same name, known for its short temper and that can throw a man from a certain distance with a kick, just as this siege weapon threw stones against enemy walls.
Origin and history
The first historical reference to this weapon is that of the Greek Philo around 200 BC , followed by that of Apollodorus a century later. However, exhaustive descriptions of their appearance and operation are not kept prior to the fourth century , when their use became popular and they were described by the historians Vegecio and Amiano Marcelino.
The onager or onager (wild donkey), was one of the machines or weapons of siege used by the Roman Empire since ancient times. It is mentioned since 200 BC, but it was used massively until 350 AD. This catapult is descended from a type of Greek catapult, which was perfected by the Romans. The Onagro was used not only in site areas; but also, in naval battles, on the decks of the longas (Roman warships).
Drawing of a small Roman onager, according to Diels (Antique Technology) .jpg
The thrust force is provided by the twisting of the ropes originally made of tendons and horsehair, not ruling out the use of women’s hair, which gave the Onagro an explosive force like the kick of a wild donkey; hence its name. The medieval version of this catapult was called the Mangonel .
There were several variants of the onager, from small catapults that could be moved by 4 men to huge monsters, capable of launching large rocks over 250 m. Variations in its forms were also the order of the day, and depended so much on the knowledge of artisans and engineers, even on the materials used and on the needs and circumstances of the moment.
Some variants of the onager had a spoon instead of a sling and could launch fireballs at enemies or fortifications. Others equipped them with wheels to be able to move them and make them more versatile. The role of the onager in the sieges was to destroy defense towers and sweep the upper part of the defensive walls. Its construction disappeared with the barbarian invasions of the 5th century , although it was recovered later, from the year 1200.
