Ancient Roman Troops May Have Used Rapid-Fire Polybolos Weapon in 89 B.C.E. Siege of Pompeii, New Study Proposes

A new paper in Heritage suggests Roman forces might have deployed an advanced repeating weapon called the polybolos during their 89 B.C.E. assault on Pompeii. Researchers Adriana Rossi, Silvia Bertacchi, and Veronica Casadei analyzed distinctive four-sided cavities found in a fan-shaped pattern on Pompeii's northern walls using high-resolution laser scanning, imaging analysis, and 3D modeling. These marks differ from those left by known Roman siege weapons like scorpions and ballistae. The team deduced the indentations were likely made by metal-tipped projectiles fired in rapid succession. Historical texts describe the polybolos, invented by Greek engineer Dionysius of Alexandria in Rhodes and documented by Philo of Byzantium in the third century B.C.E. Roman commander Lucius Cornelius Sulla, who led the siege, had previously served as governor of Cilicia—the province containing Rhodes—in 96 B.C.E., creating a plausible link for technological transfer. The weapon's rapid-fire capability could have targeted Pompeiian defenders moving along the walls. While no physical remains of the polybolos have been discovered, the researchers argue the wall damage aligns with ancient descriptions. Pompeii, famously destroyed by Mount Vesuvius in 79 C.E., reveals pre-eruption history through such archaeological evidence. Systematic excavations began in 1738 after the ruins' 16th-century discovery.