Mangonel

The term Mangonel is derived from a word the Greeks used for any engine-type military weapon. It means ‘engine of war’. Onager and Mangonel can be regarded as essentially the same machines. Indeed there seems to be some interchangeability between the names of Siege Engines generally.

It is possible that the Mangonel referred to in the Middle Ages differed from the Roman Onager and was more like a small Trebuchet with a fixed counter-weight which was pulled down by several men. This way, with trained workers, the leader of the craft could adjust the strength applied to the Mangonel.

An alternative suggestion is that a Mangonel, instead of a short sling, had a fixed bowl at the end of arm which could be loaded with stones, fire pots or rotting corpses etc.

---

Activity: Find out about Roman Siege Equipment (e.g. Vinea, Pluteus, Mantelet, Testudo (model), Musculus, Helepolis, Turris, Corvus, Ballista (aka Scorpion), Onager, Aries (Battering Ram) and construct a working model or models using Stripwood Technology.

---

DT Online Buyers' Guide

---

Safety Point! Take great care with hot glue guns and all hot-melt glues. The melted glue can stick to the skin and cause severe burns.

---

Bosch Glue Gun	A4 220 gsm Card - Assorted	Dolls House Miniature Old Herringbone Brick Pattern Craft Paper	PVA Glue Washable School Adhesive	Single Hole Plier Punch	Laser Cut MDF circles for crafts	Wooden Dowel Rods	Wooden Hardwood Clothes Pegs	Square Wood Craft Dowel	Stanley Junior Hacksaw	Draper Clamp-On Hobby Bench Vice