Section: Projectiles
Variable: Sling (All coded records)
The absence or presence of slings as a military technology used in warfare.  
Sling
#  Polity  Coded Value Tags Year(s) Edit Desc
1 Kachi Plain - Proto-Historic Period unknown Suspected Expert 1300 BCE 801 BCE
If "the first archaeologically recognizable, large post-Indus urban settlements are not earlier than the fifth century BC ... solidly visible states ... appear in a sudden profusion in the late first millennium B.C." [1] - who was king Stabrobates of India who used war elephants against a queen of Assyria (considered Shammuramat?) in the 9th century BCE? [2] One could infer king Stabrobates, if not based there himself, must have subdued and controlled the Kachi Plain region in order to invade Mesopotamia from ’India’. (Another source says Assyria invaded India and were driven out of Pakistan and India). [3] Diodorus Siculus says this too, queen Semiramis was based in Bactra (Bactria?). [4] If king Stabrobates’s polity controlled the Kachi Plain, then we code the according to the military technology he possessed. This would have included weapons of war. Note: one military historian estimates that the Assyrian army had a strategic range of 2000 km [5] which places the Indus region in reach of their forces.

[1]: (Ahmed 2014, 64) Mukhtar Ahmed. 2014. Ancient Pakistan - An Archaeological History: Volume V: The End of the Harappan Civilization, and the Aftermath. Foursome Group.

[2]: (Mayor 2014, 289) Adrienne Mayor. Animals in Warfare. Gordon Lindsay Campbell. ed. 2014. The Oxford Handbook of Animals in Classical Thought and Life. Oxford University Press. Oxford.

[3]: (Kistler 2007, 18) John M Kistler. 2007. War Elephants. University of Nebraska Press. Lincoln.

[4]: Diodorus Siculus. Delphi Complete Works of Diodorus Siculus. Delphi Classics.

[5]: (Gabriel 2002, 9) Richard A Gabriel. 2002. The Great Armies of Antiquity. Praeger. Westport.


2 Kachi Plain - Proto-Historic Period present Inferred Expert 800 BCE
If "the first archaeologically recognizable, large post-Indus urban settlements are not earlier than the fifth century BC ... solidly visible states ... appear in a sudden profusion in the late first millennium B.C." [1] - who was king Stabrobates of India who used war elephants against a queen of Assyria (considered Shammuramat?) in the 9th century BCE? [2] One could infer king Stabrobates, if not based there himself, must have subdued and controlled the Kachi Plain region in order to invade Mesopotamia from ’India’. (Another source says Assyria invaded India and were driven out of Pakistan and India). [3] Diodorus Siculus says this too, queen Semiramis was based in Bactra (Bactria?). [4] If king Stabrobates’s polity controlled the Kachi Plain, then we code the according to the military technology he possessed. This would have included weapons of war. Note: one military historian estimates that the Assyrian army had a strategic range of 2000 km [5] which places the Indus region in reach of their forces.

[1]: (Ahmed 2014, 64) Mukhtar Ahmed. 2014. Ancient Pakistan - An Archaeological History: Volume V: The End of the Harappan Civilization, and the Aftermath. Foursome Group.

[2]: (Mayor 2014, 289) Adrienne Mayor. Animals in Warfare. Gordon Lindsay Campbell. ed. 2014. The Oxford Handbook of Animals in Classical Thought and Life. Oxford University Press. Oxford.

[3]: (Kistler 2007, 18) John M Kistler. 2007. War Elephants. University of Nebraska Press. Lincoln.

[4]: Diodorus Siculus. Delphi Complete Works of Diodorus Siculus. Delphi Classics.

[5]: (Gabriel 2002, 9) Richard A Gabriel. 2002. The Great Armies of Antiquity. Praeger. Westport.


3 Kachi Plain - Proto-Historic Period unknown Suspected Expert 799 BCE 500 BCE
If "the first archaeologically recognizable, large post-Indus urban settlements are not earlier than the fifth century BC ... solidly visible states ... appear in a sudden profusion in the late first millennium B.C." [1] - who was king Stabrobates of India who used war elephants against a queen of Assyria (considered Shammuramat?) in the 9th century BCE? [2] One could infer king Stabrobates, if not based there himself, must have subdued and controlled the Kachi Plain region in order to invade Mesopotamia from ’India’. (Another source says Assyria invaded India and were driven out of Pakistan and India). [3] Diodorus Siculus says this too, queen Semiramis was based in Bactra (Bactria?). [4] If king Stabrobates’s polity controlled the Kachi Plain, then we code the according to the military technology he possessed. This would have included weapons of war. Note: one military historian estimates that the Assyrian army had a strategic range of 2000 km [5] which places the Indus region in reach of their forces.

[1]: (Ahmed 2014, 64) Mukhtar Ahmed. 2014. Ancient Pakistan - An Archaeological History: Volume V: The End of the Harappan Civilization, and the Aftermath. Foursome Group.

[2]: (Mayor 2014, 289) Adrienne Mayor. Animals in Warfare. Gordon Lindsay Campbell. ed. 2014. The Oxford Handbook of Animals in Classical Thought and Life. Oxford University Press. Oxford.

[3]: (Kistler 2007, 18) John M Kistler. 2007. War Elephants. University of Nebraska Press. Lincoln.

[4]: Diodorus Siculus. Delphi Complete Works of Diodorus Siculus. Delphi Classics.

[5]: (Gabriel 2002, 9) Richard A Gabriel. 2002. The Great Armies of Antiquity. Praeger. Westport.


4 Jin Dynasty unknown Suspected Expert -
-
5 Great Ming absent Confident Expert -
-
6 Early Qing unknown Suspected Expert -
-
7 Late Qing present Confident Expert -
-
8 Great Yuan unknown Suspected Expert -
-
9 Neguanje unknown Suspected Expert -
-
10 Tairona unknown Suspected Expert -
-
11 Badarian present Confident Uncertain Expert -
-
12 Badarian absent Confident Uncertain Expert -
-
13 Ptolemaic Kingdom I present Confident Expert -
-
14 Ptolemaic Kingdom II present Confident Expert -
-
15 French Kingdom - Late Capetian unknown Suspected Expert -
-
16 Ashanti Empire unknown Suspected Expert -
-
17 Archaic Crete absent Confident Expert -
-
18 Classical Crete absent Confident Expert -
-
19 Final Postpalatial Crete present Confident Expert -
-
20 Geometric Crete absent Confident Expert -
-
21 Hellenistic Crete absent Confident Expert -
-
22 Neolithic Crete absent Confident Expert -
-
23 Postpalatial Crete present Confident Expert -
-
24 Prepalatial Crete unknown Suspected Expert -
-
25 Iban - Brooke Raj and Colonial unknown Suspected Expert -
-
26 Java - Buni Culture unknown Suspected Expert -
-
27 Kalingga Kingdom unknown Suspected Expert -
-
28 Mataram Sultanate unknown Suspected Expert -
-
29 Hephthalites absent Inferred Expert -
Powerful composite bows suggest these weapons had become obsolete
30 Eastern Han Empire absent Inferred Expert -
Unnecessary when peasants can be equipped with the easy-to-use crossbow.
31 Hmong - Early Chinese unknown Suspected Expert -
we need expert input in order to code this variable
32 Hmong - Late Qing unknown Suspected Expert -
we need expert input in order to code this variable
33 Northern Song absent Inferred Expert -
Unlikely when better, easy to use, weapons like crossbow widely available.
34 Northern Wei absent Inferred Expert -
Better, simple-to-use range weapons available, such as the crossbow.
35 Peiligang unknown Suspected Expert -
Likely unknown.
36 Sui Dynasty absent Inferred Expert -
Unlikely to have been very effective given other ranged weapons widely available e.g. crossbow.
37 Tang Dynasty I absent Inferred Expert -
Unlikely due to use of crossbows.
38 Western Han Empire absent Inferred Expert -
Unnecessary when peasants can be equipped with the easy-to-use crossbow.
39 Shuar - Colonial absent Confident Expert -
’They do not have slings for the hurling of arrows. No slings at all. No clubs.’ [1]

[1]: Tessmann, Günter, b. 1884. 1930. “Indians Of Northeastern Peru.”, 355


40 Ayyubid Sultanate present Inferred Expert -
Inferred present from Fatimid period.
41 Egypt - Mamluk Sultanate I absent Inferred Expert -
No mention in sources so far consulted.
42 Egypt - Mamluk Sultanate III absent Inferred Expert -
no mention in sources so far consulted.
43 Egypt - Mamluk Sultanate II absent Inferred Expert -
No mention in sources so far consulted.
44 Egypt - Middle Kingdom present Confident Expert -
[1]

[1]: (Hoffmeier 2001)


45 Egypt - Dynasty 0 unknown Suspected Expert -
Tools or weapons discovered that cannot yet be adequately placed in either category include: bows, spears, lances, axes, boomerangs, staffs, clubs, slings, knives, adzes etc [1]

[1]: Gilbert, G. P. 2004. Weapons, Warriors and Warfare in Early Egypt. BAR International Series 1208: Oxford. pg: 22-23, 70-71.


46 Egypt - New Kingdom Thutmosid Period present Confident Expert -
[1] [2]

[1]: (Brewer and Teeter 1999, 74)

[2]: (Hoffmeier 2001)


47 Egypt - Period of the Regions present Inferred Expert -
Present in the Old Kingdom [1]

[1]: (Hoffmeier 2001)


48 Egypt - Thebes-Hyksos Period present Inferred Expert -
Inferred from presence of slings in previous and subsequent polities in Upper Egypt.
49 Atlantic Complex unknown Suspected Expert -
Not mentioned in the literature.
50 Beaker Culture absent Inferred Expert -
Not mentioned in the literature.
51 French Kingdom - Late Bourbon absent Confident Expert -
[1]

[1]: (Parrott 2012, 62) David Parrott. Armed Forces. William Doyle. ed. 2012. The Oxford Handbook of the Ancien Régime. Oxford University Press. Oxford.


52 Carolingian Empire II present Confident Expert -
David Baker says present. [1] Carolingian period: "Carolingian military organization was based primarily on that of their Merovingian predecessors, who had built on later Roman institutions ... Archers and slingers fighting on foot supported the battle line." [2]

[1]: David Baker. Personal communication to Seshat Databank.

[2]: (Bachrach 2001, x) Barnard S Bachrach. 2001. Early Carolingian Warfare: Prelude to Empire. University of Pennsylvania Press. Philadelphia.


53 Papal States - High Medieval Period absent Confident Uncertain Expert -
Unlikely in use at this time.
54 Hallstatt D unknown Suspected Expert -
Mainly used in the British Isles at this time. [1]

[1]: (Koch ed. 2006, 1469) John T. Koch ed. Celtic Culture. A historical Encyclopedia. Volume I. A-Celti. ABC-CLIO. Santa Barbara.


55 La Tene A-B1 present Inferred Expert -
Stockpiles of sling stones found at hillforts in Britain. Archers may have been used to defend fortified sites. [1]

[1]: (Allen 2007, 117-118)


56 La Tene C2-D present Inferred Expert -
Stockpiles of sling stones found at hillforts in Britain. Archers may have been used to defend fortified sites. [1]

[1]: (Allen 2007, 117-118)


57 Akan - Pre-Ashanti absent Inferred Expert -
no mention in sources; does not make sense for time period
58 Hawaii II unknown Suspected Expert -
They may have had these, as they were present later in Hawaiian prehistory [1] .

[1]: Kirch, P. V. 2010. How Chiefs Became Kings: Divine Kingship and the Rise of Archaic States in Ancient Hawai’i. Berkeley: University of California Press. Pg. 70.


59 Iban - Pre-Brooke unknown Suspected Expert -
No references in the literature. RA.
60 Canaan present Confident Expert -
-
61 Yisrael present Confident Expert -
-
62 Delhi Sultanate unknown Suspected Expert -
-
63 Late A'chik absent Confident Expert -
-
64 Vijayanagara Empire unknown Suspected Expert -
-
65 Qajar unknown Suspected Expert -
-
66 Safavid Empire absent Inferred Expert -
-
67 Seljuk Sultanate unknown Suspected Expert -
-
68 Latium - Copper Age unknown Confident Expert -
-
69 Ostrogothic Kingdom absent Confident Expert -
-
70 Rome - Republic of St Peter II present Confident Expert -
-
71 Papal States - Early Modern Period I present Confident Expert -
-
72 Papal States - Early Modern Period II absent Confident Expert -
-
73 Papal States - Renaissance Period present Confident Expert -
-
74 Exarchate of Ravenna unknown Confident Expert -
-
75 Roman Empire - Principate present Confident Expert -
-
76 Western Roman Empire - Late Antiquity present Confident Expert -
-
77 Republic of St Peter I unknown Confident Expert -
-
78 Chalukyas of Badami unknown Suspected Expert -
Present for earlier Satavahanas but for this time no data.
79 Chalcolithic Middle Ganga unknown Suspected Expert -
Not mentioned by sources in lists of artefacts found at sites in the region dating to this time.
80 Neolithic Middle Ganga unknown Suspected Expert -
Not mentioned by sources in lists of artefacts found at sites in the region dating to this time.
81 Early A'chik absent Confident Expert -
not mentioned in sources detailing A’chik weapons and tools
82 Hoysala Kingdom unknown Suspected Expert -
Last reference was for the Satavahana period.
83 Kadamba Empire unknown Suspected Expert -
Last reference currently found for slings was for the Satavahanas. [1]

[1]: C. Margabandhu, Archaeology of the Satavahana Kshatrapa Times (1985), p. 311


84 Kampili Kingdom unknown Suspected Expert -
Last reference was for the Satavahanas.
85 Mughal Empire present Confident Expert -
"Heavy infantry often carried simple missile weapons like javelins, slings and the chakram, a razor-edged steel disc that resembled an oversized shuriken." [1]

[1]: (De la Garza 2010, p. 145)


86 Vakataka Kingdom present Inferred Expert -
Slings were used by the preceding Satavahanas. [1] .

[1]: C. Margabandhu, Archaeology of the Satavahana Kshatrapa Times (1985), p. 311


87 Bazi Dynasty present Inferred Expert -
Used in earlier periods.
88 Dynasty of E present Inferred Expert -
Used in earlier periods.
89 Second Dynasty of Isin present Inferred Expert -
Used in earlier periods.
90 Isin-Larsa present Inferred Expert -
Used in earlier periods.
91 Neo-Assyrian Empire present Confident Expert -
[1]

[1]: (Chadwick 2005, 75)


92 Neo-Babylonian Empire present Inferred Expert -
Present in previous and subsequent polities.
93 Uruk present Confident Expert -
The slingshots are known from e. g. Tepe Gawra [1]

[1]: Charvat 2008, 136


94 Buyid Confederation unknown Suspected Expert -
Abbasid era poem about a siege mentions "the evil man that loads the sling". [1] This could also refer to a siege engine.

[1]: (Kennedy 2001, 110) Kennedy, Hugh N. 2001. The Armies of the Caliphs: Military and Society in the early Islamic State. Vol. 352. Routledge.


95 Ilkhanate absent Confident Expert -
inferred from presence of composite bow?
96 Susiana B present Inferred Expert -
"Round and ovoid sling pellets have been dug up in early Sumer and Turkestan. Ovoid sling pellets have been unearthed at the neolithic sites on the Iranian tableland. In later times, the sling was used in Palestine and Syria. It was introduced in Egypt at a still later date." [1]

[1]: (Singh 1997, 90) Sarva Daman Singh. 1997. Ancient Indian Warfare: With Special Reference to the Vedic Period. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. Delhi.


97 Elam I present Inferred Expert -
Before the Archaemenid king Cyrus (c600 BCE), Persian light infantry carried only the bow and sling. [1]

[1]: (Gabriel 2002, 162-1643 Richard A Gabriel. 2002. The Great Armies of Antiquity. Praeger. Westport.


98 Elam II present Inferred Expert -
Before the Archaemenid king Cyrus (c600 BCE), Persian light infantry carried only the bow and sling. [1]

[1]: (Gabriel 2002, 162-1643 Richard A Gabriel. 2002. The Great Armies of Antiquity. Praeger. Westport.


99 Sasanid Empire I present Confident Expert -
[1]

[1]: (Farrokh 2005, 3-27) Farrokh, Kevah. 2005. Sassanian Elite Cavalry AD 224-642. Osprey Publishing.


100 Sasanid Empire II present Confident Expert -
[1]

[1]: (Farrokh 2005, 3-27) Farrokh, Kevah. 2005. Sassanian Elite Cavalry AD 224-642. Osprey Publishing.


101 Elam - Late Sukkalmah present Confident Expert -
Before the Archaemenid king Cyrus (c600 BCE), Persian light infantry carried only the bow and sling. [1]

[1]: (Gabriel 2002, 162-163 Richard A Gabriel. 2002. The Great Armies of Antiquity. Praeger. Westport.


102 Icelandic Commonwealth present Inferred Expert -
[The evidence here is problematic. The only evidence is from a later recorded saga and it seems to suggest that slings were in use for the whole period. There is no archaeological evidence as they were made from leather.]
103 Papal States - High Medieval Period present Confident Uncertain Expert -
Unlikely in use at this time.
104 Ashikaga Shogunate absent Confident Expert -
absent, although they had been present in the much earlier Yayoi period (c.300BCE-300CE). [1]

[1]: Friday, Karl F. 2004. Samurai, Warfare and the State in Early Medieval Japan. Psychology Press.p.68.


105 Japan - Azuchi-Momoyama absent Confident Expert -
although they had been present in the much earlier Yayoi period (c.300BCE-300CE). [1]

[1]: Friday, Karl F. 2004. Samurai, Warfare and the State in Early Medieval Japan. Psychology Press.p.68.


106 Japan - Incipient Jomon absent Confident Expert -
No archaeological evidence for this. Moreover, the scholarly consensus is that the Jomon were relatively peaceful.
107 Japan - Middle Jomon absent Confident Expert -
No archaeological evidence for this. Moreover, the scholarly consensus is that the Jomon were relatively peaceful.
108 Kara-Khanids unknown Suspected Expert -
-
109 Western Turk Khaganate unknown Suspected Expert -
-
110 Bronze Age Cambodia unknown Suspected Expert -
-
111 Bronze Age Cambodia unknown Suspected Expert -
-
112 Andronovo unknown Suspected Expert -
-
113 Saadi Sultanate unknown Suspected Expert -
-
114 Jenne-jeno I absent Inferred Expert -
-
115 Jenne-jeno II absent Confident Expert -
-
116 Jenne-jeno III absent Inferred Expert -
-
117 Jenne-jeno IV absent Confident Expert -
-
118 Mali Empire unknown Suspected Expert -
-
119 Songhai Empire - Askiya Dynasty unknown Suspected Expert -
-
120 Eastern Turk Khaganate unknown Suspected Expert -
-
121 Khitan I unknown Suspected Expert -
-
122 Mongol Empire unknown Suspected Expert -
-
123 Early Mongols absent Confident Expert -
-
124 Late Mongols unknown Suspected Expert -
-
125 Rouran Khaganate unknown Suspected Expert -
-
126 Shiwei unknown Suspected Expert -
-
127 Second Turk Khaganate unknown Suspected Expert -
-
128 Uigur Khaganate unknown Suspected Expert -
-
129 Xianbei Confederation unknown Suspected Expert -
-
130 Early Xiongnu unknown Suspected Expert -
-
131 Late Xiongnu unknown Suspected Expert -
-
132 Xiongnu Imperial Confederation unknown Suspected Expert -
-
133 Zungharian Empire unknown Suspected Expert -
-
134 Later Wagadu Empire unknown Suspected Expert -
-
135 Middle Wagadu Empire unknown Suspected Expert -
-
136 Cuzco - Late Formative unknown Suspected Expert -
-
137 Sind - Abbasid-Fatimid Period unknown Suspected Expert -
-
138 Sind - Samma Dynasty unknown Suspected Expert -
-
139 Sarazm unknown Suspected Expert -
-
140 Kingdom of Lydia unknown Suspected Expert -
-
141 Classical Angkor absent Inferred Expert -
Jacq-Hergoualc’h’s in-depth and authoritative analysis of Khmer weaponry includes no mention of slings. [1]

[1]: (Jacq-Hergoualc’h and Smithies 2007)


142 Late Angkor absent Inferred Expert -
Jacq-Hergoualc’h’s in-depth and authoritative analysis of Khmer weaponry includes no mention of slings. [1]

[1]: (Jacq-Hergoualc’h and Smithies 2007)


143 Phoenician Empire present Inferred Expert -
Slingers were an important part of Bronze-Age Canaanite and Iron-Age Israelite armies; they were also attested to in Carthage, much later.
144 Monte Alban V present Confident Expert -
Weaponry for military at this time included wooden broadswords edged with obsidian blades, bows and arrows, slings, atlatls. [1]

[1]: Flannery and Marcus (1983) The Cloud People. New York. p217-8


145 Archaic Basin of Mexico absent Inferred Expert -
"Little is known about warfare in Mesoamerica before the Middle Formative [...] warfare was relatively unorganized, conducted by small groups armed with unspecialized tool-weapons". [1]

[1]: (Hassig 1992: 12-13) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/E9VHCKDG.


146 Middle Formative Basin of Mexico present Inferred Expert -
Ross Hassig (1992) interprets the small, round stone balls excavated from Middle Formative sites in the BOM and across Mesoamerica as sling stones. [1]

[1]: Hassig, Ross. (1992). "War and Society in Ancient Mesoamerica." Berkeley: University of California Press, p.28-9.


147 Toltecs present Confident Expert -
"...slings may well have been used for greater distance." [1]

[1]: (Hassig 1992: 112) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/E9VHCKDG.


148 Cuzco - Early Intermediate I unknown Confident Expert -
[1]

[1]: (Brian Bauer 2015, personal communication)


149 Cuzco - Early Intermediate II unknown Confident Expert -
[1]

[1]: (Brian Bauer 2015, personal communication)


150 Cuzco - Late Intermediate I present Confident Expert -
"A midden at Pukara Pantillijlla dated to the thirteenth century contained sling balls and two stone axes." [1]

[1]: (Covey 2006, 95)


151 Inca Empire present Confident Expert -
The Wanka people carried slings in the Inca army. [1]

[1]: (Kaufmann and Kaufmann 2012)


152 Indo-Greek Kingdom present Confident Expert -
Inferred as the Bactrian Greeks were equipped in the tradition of the Macedonians. [1]

[1]: Sekunda, Nick, and Nicholas Sekunda. The Ancient Greeks. Vol. 7. Osprey Publishing Company, 1986.


153 Kachi Plain - Post-Urban Period absent Confident Expert -
No evidence for weapons or armor, apart from arrowheads, spearheads, daggers and axes, have been found at Pirak. [1]

[1]: Jarrige, J-F. (1979) Fouilles de Pirak. Paris : Diffusion de Boccard.


154 Sakha - Early absent Confident Expert -
not mentioned in any of the sources that deal with weapons and armor
155 Sakha - Late absent Confident Expert -
not mentioned in any of the sources that deal with weapons and armor
156 Umayyad Caliphate present Confident Expert -
Poem about a siege mentions "the evil man that loads the sling". [1]

[1]: (Kennedy 2001, 110)


157 Ayutthaya absent Inferred Expert -
Inferred from the fact that slings do not feature among the "personal weapons" mentioned in Charney’s [1] comprehensive summary of Southeast Asian military technology and organisation between the early modern period and the nineteenth century.

[1]: (Charney 2004)


158 Middle Bronze Age in Central Anatolia present Inferred Expert -
4000 BCE in the Middle East and southeastern Europe: "sling, dagger, mace, and bow are common weapons". [1]

[1]: (Gabriel 2007, xii) Richard A Gabriel. 2007. Soldiers’ Lives Through History: The Ancient World. Greenwood Press. Westport.


159 Byzantine Empire III present Confident Expert -
Preiser-Kapeller says present. [1]

[1]: (Preiser-Kapeller 2015) Institute for Medieval Research, Division of Byzantine Research, Austrian Academy of Sciences)


160 Himyar II present Confident Expert -
Slings. [1]

[1]: (Syvanne 2015, 134) Ilkka Syvanne. 2015. Military History of Late Rome 284-361. Pen and Sword. Barnsley.


161 Qatabanian Commonwealth unknown Confident Expert -
[1]

[1]: (A. Sedov: pers. comm. to E. Cioni: September 2019)


162 Sabaean Commonwealth unknown Confident Expert -
[1]

[1]: (A. Sedov: pers. comm. to E. Cioni: September 2019)


163 Neo-Hittite Kingdoms unknown Suspected Expert -
-
164 Phrygian Kingdom unknown Suspected Expert -
-
165 Tabal Kingdoms unknown Suspected Expert -
-
166 Chagatai Khanate unknown Suspected Expert -
-
167 Khanate of Bukhara unknown Suspected Expert -
-
168 Ancient Khwarazm unknown Suspected Expert -
-
169 Koktepe II unknown Suspected Expert -
-
170 Samanid Empire unknown Suspected Expert -
-
171 Sogdiana - City-States Period unknown Suspected Expert -
-
172 Yemen - Qasimid Dynasty unknown Suspected Expert -
-
173 Durrani Empire present Confident Expert -
[1]

[1]: J. Hanway, An Historical Account of the British Trade over the Caspian Sea, 4 vols., London, 1753 p. 252-4


174 Greco-Bactrian Kingdom present Inferred Expert -
Inferred as the Bactrian Greeks were equipped in the tradition of the Macedonians. [1]

[1]: Sekunda, Nick, and Nicholas Sekunda. The Ancient Greeks. Vol. 7. Osprey Publishing Company, 1986.


175 Kushan Empire present Confident Expert -
Slings. [1]

[1]: (Mukhamedjanov 1994, 269) Mukhamedjanov, A R. Economy and Social System in Central Asia in the Kushan Age. in Harmatta J, Puri B N and Etemadi G F eds. 1994. History of civilizations of Central Asia. Volume II. UNESCO.


176 Western Jin absent Inferred Expert -
Better, simple-to-use range weapons available, such as the crossbow.
177 Erligang present Inferred Expert -
Known from the Zhou period, when: "The conscripted foot soldiers wore sheepskin jackets and used slings and bows with bronze-tipped arrows." [1]

[1]: (Meyer 1994, 132) Milton Walter Meyer. 1994. China: A Concise History. Second Edition, Revised. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. Lanham.


178 Erlitou present Inferred Expert -
Inferred from the presence of slings in previous and subsequent polities in the Middle Yellow River Valley Known from the Zhou period, when: "The conscripted foot soldiers wore sheepskin jackets and used slings and bows with bronze-tipped arrows." [1]

[1]: (Meyer 1994, 132) Milton Walter Meyer. 1994. China: A Concise History. Second Edition, Revised. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. Lanham.


179 Jin present Inferred Expert -
Known from the Zhou period, when: "The conscripted foot soldiers wore sheepskin jackets and used slings and bows with bronze-tipped arrows." [1]

[1]: (Meyer 1994, 132) Milton Walter Meyer. 1994. China: A Concise History. Second Edition, Revised. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. Lanham.


180 Longshan present Inferred Expert -
Sling stones used for hunting could have been used for warfare. Known from the Zhou period, when: "The conscripted foot soldiers wore sheepskin jackets and used slings and bows with bronze-tipped arrows." [1] ’ Sling stones used for hunting could have been used for warfare. "Polished stone tools are abundant at Wangwan III sites. It appears that specific forms of tools were made for particular functions, such as shovels for digging, knives, and lian 镰 sickles for harvesting, and grinding stones and slabs for processing millet. No doubt the wide use of sickles greatly increased crop yields while pits plastered with lime provided good storage for cereals. There were other specialized tools as well such as axes, adzes, chisels, and zuan 钻 drills for woodwork; mao 矛 spears projectile points, arrowheads ,and sling stones (danwan 弹丸) for hunting; barbs (gou 钩), net weights (wangzhui 网坠), and darts (yubiao 鱼镖) for fishing; anvils (paizi 拍子) for pottery-making; and needles and spindle whorls for preparing cloth. These various implements clearly show that agriculture was supplemented by hunting and gathering." [2]

[1]: (Meyer 1994, 132) Milton Walter Meyer. 1994. China: A Concise History. Second Edition, Revised. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. Lanham.

[2]: (Zhao 2013, 249)


181 Late Shang present Inferred Expert -
Certainly known from the following Zhou period, when: "The conscripted foot soldiers wore sheepskin jackets and used slings and bows with bronze-tipped arrows." [1]

[1]: (Meyer 1994, 132) Milton Walter Meyer. 1994. China: A Concise History. Second Edition, Revised. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. Lanham.


182 Tang Dynasty II absent Inferred Expert -
Unlikely due to use of crossbows.
183 Early Wei Dynasty present Inferred Expert -
Inferred from the Zhou period, when: "The conscripted foot soldiers wore sheepskin jackets and used slings and bows with bronze-tipped arrows." [1]

[1]: (Meyer 1994, 132) Milton Walter Meyer. 1994. China: A Concise History. Second Edition, Revised. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. Lanham.


184 Ottoman Emirate present Confident Expert -
Early Janissaries used weapons such as bows, slings, crossbows and javelins. [1]

[1]: (Nicolle 1983, 10)


185 Ottoman Empire I present Confident Expert -
Early Janissaries used weapons such as bows, slings, crossbows and javelins. [1]

[1]: (Nicolle 1983, 10)


186 Roman Empire - Dominate present Confident Expert -
187 Cahokia - Lohman-Stirling absent Confident Expert -
Checked by Peter Peregrine.
188 Cahokia - Moorehead absent Confident Expert -
Checked by Peter Peregrine.
189 Haudenosaunee Confederacy - Late absent Confident Expert -
Iroquois warfare is relatively well documented, so the fact that source do not mention slings suggests that there weren’t any, or that they weren’t particularly common.
190 Cahokia - Emergent Mississippian II absent Confident Expert -
Checked by Peter Peregrine.
191 Cahokia - Middle Woodland absent Inferred Expert -
The atlatl was the main weapon of this region before the introduction of the bow c300-400 CE. [1] [2]

[1]: (Blitz and Porth 2013, 89-95)

[2]: (Iseminger 2010, 24) Iseminger, W R. 2010. Cahokia Mounds: America’s First City. The History Press. Charleston.


192 Cahokia - Sand Prairie absent Confident Expert -
Checked by Peter Peregrine.
193 Cahokia - Emergent Mississippian I absent Confident Expert -
Checked by Peter Peregrine.
194 Timurid Empire absent Confident Expert -
obsolete by this time
195 Western Zhou present Confident Expert -
In the Zhou period "The conscripted foot soldiers wore sheepskin jackets and used slings and bows with bronze-tipped arrows. By 340 B.C., they had adopted the crossbow..." [1]

[1]: (Meyer 1994, 132) Milton Walter Meyer. 1994. China: A Concise History. Second Edition, Revised. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. Lanham.


196 Yangshao unknown Suspected Expert -
Known from the Zhou period, when: "The conscripted foot soldiers wore sheepskin jackets and used slings and bows with bronze-tipped arrows." [1]

[1]: (Meyer 1994, 132) Milton Walter Meyer. 1994. China: A Concise History. Second Edition, Revised. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. Lanham.


197 Shuar - Ecuadorian absent Confident Expert -
They do not have slings for the hurling of arrows. No slings at all. No clubs. [1]

[1]: Tessmann, Günter, b. 1884. 1930. “Indians Of Northeastern Peru.”, 355


198 Egypt - Dynasty I present Confident Expert -
[1] Ed: more information needed here. What is the nature of the evidence and for what time period does it apply? Reference is J K Hoffmeier in D B Redford. ed. 2001. The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt. Oxford. Have been able to discover there is a ’slings and stones’ section in volume P-Z 2: 409-10. Don’t know if reference taken from here as I currently am unable to access it.

[1]: (Hoffmeier 2001)


199 Egypt - Dynasty II present Confident Expert -
[1] [2]

[1]: (Hoffmeier 2001)

[2]: J K Hoffmeier in D B Redford. ed. 2001. The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt. Oxford. Have been able to discover there is a ’slings and stones’ section in volume P-Z 2: 409-10


200 Egypt - Inter-Occupation Period present Confident Expert -
"The sling is shown being used in assault on towns in the early Middle Kingdom tombs at Beni Hasan. Examples found in the tomb of Tutankhamun were made of linen. Despite its rare appearance in battle scenes, it was probably widely used. [...] A sling shot from the Ptolemaic and Roman periods could be made of lead, and carried inscribed messages for the unfortunate recipient." [1] According to one military historian, many ancient armies used slingers. Vulnerable to counter-attacks, slinger units were usually small and used at the start of the battle. Because of the training required to produce and effective slinger they were often hired mercenaries. [2]

[1]: (Morkot 2010: 222) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/AHFJE5Z2.

[2]: (Gabriel 2002, 31) Richard A Gabriel. 2002. The Great Armies of Antiquity. Praeger. Westport.


201 Naqada I present Confident Uncertain Expert -
Tools or weapons discovered that cannot yet be adequately placed in either category include: bows, spears, lances, axes, boomerangs, staffs, clubs, slings, knives, adzes etc [1]

[1]: Gilbert, G. P. 2004. Weapons, Warriors and Warfare in Early Egypt. Archaeopress: Oxford. pg: 22-23, 70-71.


202 Naqada I absent Confident Uncertain Expert -
Tools or weapons discovered that cannot yet be adequately placed in either category include: bows, spears, lances, axes, boomerangs, staffs, clubs, slings, knives, adzes etc [1]

[1]: Gilbert, G. P. 2004. Weapons, Warriors and Warfare in Early Egypt. Archaeopress: Oxford. pg: 22-23, 70-71.


203 Naqada II unknown Suspected Expert -
Summaries of the development of Egyptian weaponry usually begin with the Late Predynastic. //Tools or weapons discovered that cannot yet be adequately placed in either category include: bows, spears, lances, axes, boomerangs, staffs, clubs, slings, knives, adzes etc [1] [2]

[1]: Gilbert, G. P. 2004. Weapons, Warriors and Warfare in Early Egypt. BAR International Series 1208: Oxford. pg: 22-23, 70-71.

[2]: K Hoffmeier in D B Redford. ed. 2001. The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt. Oxford. Have been able to discover there is a ’slings and stones’ section in volume P-Z 2: 409-10.


204 Egypt - New Kingdom Ramesside Period present Confident Expert -
[1] [2]

[1]: (Brewer and Teeter 1999, 74)

[2]: (Hoffmeier 2001)


205 Egypt - Classic Old Kingdom present Confident Expert -
[1] [2]

[1]: (Hoffmeier 2001)

[2]: J K Hoffmeier in D B Redford. ed. 2001. The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt. Oxford. Have been able to discover there is a ’slings and stones’ section in volume P-Z 2: 409-10


206 Egypt - Late Old Kingdom present Confident Expert -
[1] [2]

[1]: (Hoffmeier 2001)

[2]: J K Hoffmeier in D B Redford. ed. 2001. The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt. Oxford. Have been able to discover there is a ’slings and stones’ section in volume P-Z 2: 409-10


207 Egypt - Saite Period present Inferred Expert -
According to one military historian many ancient armies used slingers. Vulnerable to counter-attacks, slinger units were usually small and used at the start of the battle. Because of the training required to produce and effective slinger they were often hired mercenaries. [1] Saite Kingdom used Greek mercenaries. In this period there were highly-trained slingers in the Mediterranean region (e.g. Balearic slingers). It is probable that the Saites also employed slingers.

[1]: (Gabriel 2002, 31) Richard A Gabriel. 2002. The Great Armies of Antiquity. Praeger. Westport.


208 Egypt - Thebes-Libyan Period present Inferred Expert -
"The sling is shown being used in assault on towns in the early Middle Kingdom tombs at Beni Hasan. Examples found in the tomb of Tutankhamun were made of linen. Despite its rare appearance in battle scenes, it was probably widely used. [...] A sling shot from the Ptolemaic and Roman periods could be made of lead, and carried inscribed messages for the unfortunate recipient." [1]

[1]: (Morkot 2010: 222) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/AHFJE5Z2.


209 Egypt - Tulunid-Ikhshidid Period unknown Suspected Expert -
Poem about a siege mentions "the evil man that loads the sling". [1] However, this does not prove whether the sling had a military use.

[1]: (Kennedy 2001, 110)


210 Spanish Empire I present Confident Uncertain Expert -
Used against the Spanish by the Maya. [1] We need to know whether the Habsburgs used them.

[1]: (Pemberton 2011, preview) Pemberton, John. 2011. Conquistadors: Searching for El Dorado: The Terrifying Spanish Conquest of the Aztec and Inca Empires. Canary Press eBooks Limited. https://www.zotero.org/groups/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/3SI549GS


211 Early Roman Republic present Confident Expert -
Balearic slingers (mercenaries). [1] According to Livy, Servian Classes IV and V were skirmishers, who carried a sling. [2]

[1]: (Dupuy and Dupuy 2007)

[2]: (Fields 2007, 5)


212 Spanish Empire I absent Confident Uncertain Expert -
Used against the Spanish by the Maya. [1] We need to know whether the Habsburgs used them.

[1]: (Pemberton 2011, preview) Pemberton, John. 2011. Conquistadors: Searching for El Dorado: The Terrifying Spanish Conquest of the Aztec and Inca Empires. Canary Press eBooks Limited. https://www.zotero.org/groups/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/3SI549GS


213 Elam III present Inferred Expert -
Before the Archaemenid king Cyrus (c600 BCE), Persian light infantry carried only the bow and sling. [1]

[1]: (Gabriel 2002, 162-1643 Richard A Gabriel. 2002. The Great Armies of Antiquity. Praeger. Westport.


214 Chuuk - Early Truk present Confident Expert -
Islanders used slings, spears and clubs: ’Within districts, conflict arose over land, succession to chiefship, theft, adultery, and avenging homicide. Between districts, it arose over attentions to local women by outside men, the status of one district as subordinate to another, and rights of access to fishing areas. Formal procedures for terminating conflict between districts involved payments of valuables and land by the loosing to the winning side. Fighting involved surprise raids and prearranged meetings on a field of battle. Principle weapons were slings, spears, and clubs. Firearms, introduced late in the nineteenth century, were confiscated by German authorities in 1903. Martial arts included an elaborate system of throws and holds by which an unarmed man could kill, maim or disarm an armed opponent.’ [1] ’Fighting skills in aboriginal times included knowledge of the manufacture as well [Page 54] as of the use of the various weapons: the club, spear, sling, knuckle-duster, and in more recent time the knife and rifle. Of great importance, too, was a knowledge of the various holds in a system of hand-to-hand encounter remotely reminiscent of Japanese jiujitsu. To acquire these skills required considerable practice. In aboriginal times the various lineages used to hold periodic month-long training course in their respective meeting houses. Although each political district fought engagements as a united military group, training was given independently by the various lineages. Those present were the men of the lineage, the husbands of its women, and the sons of its men, in conformance with the pattern of confining the transmission of knowledge to one’s children and one’s lineage mates. It is said that by no means everyone knew all of the various weapons nor all of the tricks of hand-to-hand fighting. Knowledge of the proper magic was required in the manufacture of the several weapons and also to increase the effectiveness of their use thereafter. It is not surprising, therefore, that fighting skills were treated in the same way as other types of incorporeal property.’ [2]

[1]: Goodenough, Ward H. and Skoggard, Ian: eHRAF Cultural Summary for the Chuuk

[2]: Goodenough, Ward Hunt 1951. “Property, Kin, And Community On Truk”, 53


215 Chuuk - Late Truk present Confident Expert -
Islanders used slings, spears and clubs: ’Within districts, conflict arose over land, succession to chiefship, theft, adultery, and avenging homicide. Between districts, it arose over attentions to local women by outside men, the status of one district as subordinate to another, and rights of access to fishing areas. Formal procedures for terminating conflict between districts involved payments of valuables and land by the loosing to the winning side. Fighting involved surprise raids and prearranged meetings on a field of battle. Principle weapons were slings, spears, and clubs. Firearms, introduced late in the nineteenth century, were confiscated by German authorities in 1903. Martial arts included an elaborate system of throws and holds by which an unarmed man could kill, maim or disarm an armed opponent.’ [1] ’Fighting skills in aboriginal times included knowledge of the manufacture as well [Page 54] as of the use of the various weapons: the club, spear, sling, knuckle-duster, and in more recent time the knife and rifle. Of great importance, too, was a knowledge of the various holds in a system of hand-to-hand encounter remotely reminiscent of Japanese jiujitsu. To acquire these skills required considerable practice. In aboriginal times the various lineages used to hold periodic month-long training course in their respective meeting houses. Although each political district fought engagements as a united military group, training was given independently by the various lineages. Those present were the men of the lineage, the husbands of its women, and the sons of its men, in conformance with the pattern of confining the transmission of knowledge to one’s children and one’s lineage mates. It is said that by no means everyone knew all of the various weapons nor all of the tricks of hand-to-hand fighting. Knowledge of the proper magic was required in the manufacture of the several weapons and also to increase the effectiveness of their use thereafter. It is not surprising, therefore, that fighting skills were treated in the same way as other types of incorporeal property.’ [2]

[1]: Goodenough, Ward H. and Skoggard, Ian: eHRAF Cultural Summary for the Chuuk

[2]: Goodenough, Ward Hunt 1951. “Property, Kin, And Community On Truk”, 53


216 French Kingdom - Early Bourbon absent Inferred Expert -
Lances, swords, crossbowmen, longbows, pikemen were of central importance on the battlefield for at least 200 years after the first guns until the Battle of Carignola (1503 CE) which was probably decided by guns and Marignano (1515 CE) when Swiss squares were beaten by cavalry shooting pistols and cannon artillery. [1] The first Bourbon era 1589-1660 CE is firmly after the transition to firearm dominance so at this time the old weapons must have played only a minor role in warfare or had been completely abandoned.

[1]: (Nolan 2006, 367) Cathal J Nolan. 2006. The Age of Wars of Religion, 1000-1650: An Encyclopedia of Global Warfare and Civilization. Volume 1 A - K. Greenwood Press. Westport.


217 Proto-French Kingdom present Inferred Expert -
Carolingian period: "Carolingian military organization was based primarily on that of their Merovingian predecessors, who had built on later Roman institutions ... Archers and slingers fighting on foot supported the battle line." [1]

[1]: (Bachrach 2001, x) Barnard S Bachrach. 2001. Early Carolingian Warfare: Prelude to Empire. University of Pennsylvania Press. Philadelphia.


218 Carolingian Empire I present Confident Expert -
David Baker says present. [1] Carolingian period: "Carolingian military organization was based primarily on that of their Merovingian predecessors, who had built on later Roman institutions ... Archers and slingers fighting on foot supported the battle line." [2]

[1]: David Baker. Personal communication to Seshat Databank.

[2]: (Bachrach 2001, x) Barnard S Bachrach. 2001. Early Carolingian Warfare: Prelude to Empire. University of Pennsylvania Press. Philadelphia.


219 Hallstatt A-B1 unknown Suspected Expert -
Not mentioned in the literature.
220 Hallstatt B2-3 unknown Suspected Expert -
Mainly used in the British Isles at this time. [1]

[1]: (Koch ed. 2006, 1469) John T. Koch ed. Celtic Culture. A historical Encyclopedia. Volume I. A-Celti. ABC-CLIO. Santa Barbara.


221 Hallstatt C unknown Suspected Expert -
Mainly used in the British Isles at this time. [1]

[1]: (Koch ed. 2006, 1469) John T. Koch ed. Celtic Culture. A historical Encyclopedia. Volume I. A-Celti. ABC-CLIO. Santa Barbara.


222 Early Merovingian present Confident Expert -
Slingers were used in Charlemagne’s army. [1] "Carolingian military organization was based primarily on that of their Merovingian predecessors, who had built on later Roman institutions." and "Archers and slingers fighting on foot supported the battle line." [2]

[1]: (Halsall 2003, 150) Halsall, Guy. 2003. Warfare and Society in the Barbarian West, 450-900. Routledge. London.

[2]: (Bachrach 2001, x) Barnard S Bachrach. 2001. Early Carolingian Warfare: Prelude to Empire. University of Pennsylvania Press. Philadelphia.


223 Proto-Carolingian present Confident Expert -
Carolingian period: "Carolingian military organization was based primarily on that of their Merovingian predecessors, who had built on later Roman institutions ... Archers and slingers fighting on foot supported the battle line." [1]

[1]: (Bachrach 2001, x) Barnard S Bachrach. 2001. Early Carolingian Warfare: Prelude to Empire. University of Pennsylvania Press. Philadelphia.


224 Middle Merovingian present Confident Expert -
Carolingian period: "Carolingian military organization was based primarily on that of their Merovingian predecessors, who had built on later Roman institutions ... Archers and slingers fighting on foot supported the battle line." [1]

[1]: (Bachrach 2001, x) Barnard S Bachrach. 2001. Early Carolingian Warfare: Prelude to Empire. University of Pennsylvania Press. Philadelphia.


225 La Tene B2-C1 present Inferred Expert -
Stockpiles of sling stones found at hillforts in Britain. Archers may have been used to defend fortified sites. [1]

[1]: (Allen 2007, 117-118)


226 French Kingdom - Early Valois absent Inferred Expert -
inferred from discussion in sources of projectile technology in this period
227 French Kingdom - Late Valois absent Inferred Expert -
inferred from discussion in sources of projectile technology during this period
228 The Emirate of Crete present Confident Expert -
[1] [2]

[1]: Κόλλιας, Τ., Τεχνολογία και Πόλεμος στο Βυζάντιο, 2005

[2]: Mc Geer, E., Sowing the Dragons Teeth: Byzantine Warfare in the Tenth Century, Washington D.C., 1995.


229 Monopalatial Crete present Confident Expert -
Silings, initially used for hunting, had acquired a military role by the 15th century BCE. [1] Sling bullets were initially rounded stones and pebbles but towards the end of the Mycenaean period lead bullets also appeared.

[1]: Georganas,I. "Weapons and warfare," in Cline, E. (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the Bronze Age Aegean (ca. 3000-1000 BC), Oxford, 308


230 Hawaii I unknown Suspected Expert -
They may have had these, as they were present later in Hawaiian prehistory [1] .

[1]: Kirch, P. V. 2010. How Chiefs Became Kings: Divine Kingship and the Rise of Archaic States in Ancient Hawai’i. Berkeley: University of California Press. Pg. 70.


231 Hawaii III present Confident Expert -
Slings were used in warfare [1] [2] .

[1]: Kirch, P. V. 2010. How Chiefs Became Kings: Divine Kingship and the Rise of Archaic States in Ancient Hawai’i. Berkeley: University of California Press. Pg. 70.

[2]: Kirch, P. V. 1985. Feathered Gods and Fishhooks: An Introduction to Hawaiian Archaeology and Prehistory. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. Pg. 273.


232 Kediri Kingdom absent Inferred Expert -
No mention of slings. Old Mataram was a ’highly Indianized culture’ until it was replaced by an East Javanese one "that increasingly promoted various elements of the island’s older indigenous traditions." [1] The switch-over did not occur until the end of the Kediri Kingdom: it was the Singhasari Kingdom that witnessed ’the decline of Hindu culture and civilisation in Java and the succession of Javanese culture.’ [2] Temple reliefs from earlier periods contain murals showing clubs, swords, bows and arrows, spears, shields, armour, knives, halberds. [3] Indian military terms surviving in Javanese: "war, weapon, sword, lance, armour, shield, helmet, banner, battle, siege, fortress, soldier, officer, enemy, spy, etc." [4]

[1]: (Unesco 2005, 233) Unesco. 2005. The Restoration of Borobudur. Unesco.

[2]: (Rao 2005, 213) B V Rao. 2005. History of Asia. Sterling Publishers Pvt Ltd. New Dawn Press, Inc. Elgin.

[3]: (Draeger 1972, 23, 27) D F Draeger. 1972. Weapons and Fighting Arts of Indonesia. Tuttle Publishing.

[4]: (Kumara 2007, 161) Sasiprabha Kumara. 2007. Sanskrit Across Cultures. Special Centre for Sanskrit Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University. New Delhi.


233 Majapahit Kingdom absent Inferred Expert -
Not listed: "Weapons, notably axes, clubs, swords, and daggers, seem to have been Indian, though the curved swords are of a later type than those on the Central Javanese reliefs. The reappearance of the spear in these reliefs, while the use of the bow is confined to human heroes, suggests an increasing pressure to resume use of local types of weapons." [1]

[1]: (Powell 2002, 325) John Powell. 2002. Weapons & Warfare: Ancient and medieval weapons and warfare (to 1500). Salem Press.


234 Medang Kingdom absent Inferred Expert -
Old Mataram was a ’highly Indianized culture’ until it was replaced by an East Javanese one "that increasingly promoted various elements of the island’s older indigenous traditions." [1] Indian military terms surviving in Javanese: "war, weapon, sword, lance, armour, shield, helmet, banner, battle, siege, fortress, soldier, officer, enemy, spy, etc." [2] In southern India at this time (Rashtrakuta dynasty) military technology included "the sword, the trident or spear, the javelin, the battleaxe, the shield, etc." [3] ; while their predecessors had "swords, shields, spears, clubs, lances, bows and arrows etc." [4]

[1]: (Unesco 2005, 233) Unesco. 2005. The Restoration of Borobudur. Unesco.

[2]: (Kumara 2007, 161) Sasiprabha Kumara. 2007. Sanskrit Across Cultures. Special Centre for Sanskrit Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University. New Delhi.

[3]: (Ramachandra Murthy 1994, 116) N S Ramachandra Murthy. 1994. Military Administration of the Rashtrakutas in the Telugu Country. B R Gopal. ed. The Rashtrakutas of Malkhed.

[4]: (Sreenivasa Murthy and Ramakrishnan 1975, 93) H V Sreenivasa Murthy and R Ramakrishnan. 1975. A History of Karnataka. Vivek Prakashan.


235 Yehuda present Confident Expert -
Used in the region for at least the previous millennium, and still effective in contemporary militaries such as that of Carthage. “The [Hasmonean] infantry probably included lightly armed units of archers and slingers, semi-heavy infantry units such as the Hellenistic theurophoroi, and heavily armed infantry, organized along similar lines to the late Hellenistic phalanx.” [1] A sling bullet dated to the Hasmonean era was found at Beth Zur, the site of a battle between the Seleucid general Lysias and Judah the Maccabbi. [2]

[1]: Rocca (2008).

[2]: Pearlman (1973).


236 Kingdom of Ayodhya unknown Suspected Expert -
The Satavahanas in central and southern India used slingers [1] and the Mauryans could field slingers.

[1]: C. Margabandhu, Archaeology of the Satavahana Kshatrapa Times (1985), p. 311


237 Chalukyas of Kalyani unknown Suspected Expert -
Last reference was for the Satavahanas.
238 Deccan - Iron Age present Inferred Expert -
Present for the Indus Valley Civilization: "Commonest among the weapons of offence and defence in the Indus valley are sling pellets of baked clay." [1]

[1]: (Singh 1997, 90) Sarva Daman Singh. 1997. Ancient Indian Warfare: With Special Reference to the Vedic Period. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. Delhi.


239 Post-Mauryan Kingdoms present Inferred Expert -
Present for the Indus Valley Civilization: "Commonest among the weapons of offence and defence in the Indus valley are sling pellets of baked clay." [1]

[1]: (Singh 1997, 90) Sarva Daman Singh. 1997. Ancient Indian Warfare: With Special Reference to the Vedic Period. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. Delhi.


240 Deccan - Neolithic unknown Suspected Expert -
NB: The following refers to a different era and place. Present for the Indus Valley Civilization: "Commonest among the weapons of offence and defence in the Indus valley are sling pellets of baked clay." [1]

[1]: (Singh 1997, 90) Sarva Daman Singh. 1997. Ancient Indian Warfare: With Special Reference to the Vedic Period. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. Delhi.


241 Gahadavala Dynasty present Inferred Expert -
"The period between the post-Gupta era and the Islamic invasions is generally regarded as a sort of ’quasi Dark Age’ in India ... military historian U. P. Thapliyal asserts that after AD 500, there were no innovations in the theory and practice of warfare." [1] Kaushik Roy disagrees with this evaluation I presume with respect to the idea of a lack of new innovation rather than there being a complete shift to new weaponry. Reference for northern India in the 7th century CE: According to Hiuen Tsang (quoted here) the Harsha infantry had ’slings’ and had been ’drilled in them for generations.’ [2] The Harsha are a post-Gupta era polity so if they used slings and there was no major shift in weaponry until the Islamic invasion then slings were probably still in use at this time.

[1]: (Roy 2013, 27) Kaushik Roy. 2013 Military Manpower, Armies and Warfare in South Asia. Routledge. London.

[2]: (Sen 1999, 257) Sailendra Nath Sen. 1999. Ancient Indian History and Civilization. Second Edition. New Age International (P) Limited, Publishers. New Delhi.


242 Gupta Empire present Inferred Expert -
"The Guptas imitated the dress, equipment and the techniques of warfare as practised by the Central Asian nomads." [1] The Kushans had used slings. [2]

[1]: (Roy 2016, 22) Kaushik Roy. 2016. Military Manpower, Armies and Warfare in South Asia. Routledge. Abingdon.

[2]: (Mukhamedjanov 1994, 269) Mukhamedjanov, A R. Economy and Social System in Central Asia in the Kushan Age. in Harmatta J, Puri B N and Etemadi G F eds. 1994. History of civilizations of Central Asia. Volume II. UNESCO.


243 Gurjar-Pratihara Dynasty present Inferred Expert -
Reference for northern India in the 7th century CE: According to Hiuen Tsang (quoted here) the Harsha infantry had ’slings’ and had been ’drilled in them for generations.’ [1] "The period between the post-Gupta era and the Islamic invasions is generally regarded as a sort of ’quasi Dark Age’ in India ... military historian U. P. Thapliyal asserts that after AD 500, there were no innovations in the theory and practice of warfare." [2] Kaushik Roy disagrees with this evaluation but I presume with respect to the idea of a lack of new innovation.

[1]: (Sen 1999, 257) Sailendra Nath Sen. 1999. Ancient Indian History and Civilization. Second Edition. New Age International (P) Limited, Publishers. New Delhi.

[2]: (Roy 2013, 27) Kaushik Roy. 2013 Military Manpower, Armies and Warfare in South Asia. Routledge. London.


244 Kannauj - Varman Dynasty present Confident Expert -
"sling (bhindipala)". [1]

[1]: (Mishra 1977, 150) Shyam Manohar Mishra. 1977. Yaśovarman of Kanauj: A Study of Political History, Social, and Cultural Life of Northern India During the Reign of Yaśovarman. Abhinav Publications.


245 Magadha present Inferred Expert -
Reference for northern India in the 7th century CE: According to Hiuen Tsang (quoted here) the Harsha infantry had ’slings’ and had been ’drilled in them for generations.’ [1]

[1]: (Sen 1999, 257) Sailendra Nath Sen. 1999. Ancient Indian History and Civilization. Second Edition. New Age International (P) Limited, Publishers. New Delhi.


246 Mahajanapada era present Confident Expert -
Referring to Vedic texts: "Balls (guda) or metal or stone, to which the Epics refer, were hurled, presumably with the help of a sling." [1]

[1]: (Singh 1965: 116) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/QW5EBAAU.


247 Magadha - Maurya Empire present Inferred Expert -
According to a military historian (this needs confirmation from a Mauryan specialist) slings were present. [1] Soldiers from the hills also seemed to be armed with stones as a missile weapon. [2]

[1]: Gabriel, Richard A. The great armies of antiquity. p. 218-220

[2]: Singh, Sarva Daman. Ancient Indian Warfare: With Special Reference to the Vedic Period. Motilal Banarsidass Publ., 1989. p. 19


248 Rashtrakuta Empire unknown Suspected Expert -
Last reference currently found for slings was for the Satavahanas. [1]

[1]: C. Margabandhu, Archaeology of the Satavahana Kshatrapa Times (1985), p. 311


249 Satavahana Empire present Confident Expert -
Excavations at both Maski and Prakash, in the states of Karnataka and Maharashtra, respectively, have yielded likely slingstones [1] .

[1]: C. Margabandhu, Archaeology of the Satavahana Kshatrapa Times (1985), p. 311


250 Abbasid Caliphate I unknown Suspected Expert -
Poem about a siege mentions "the evil man that loads the sling". [1] This could also refer to a siege engine.

[1]: (Kennedy 2001, 110)


251 Abbasid Caliphate II unknown Confident Expert -
In first Abbasid period there was a poem about a siege that mentions "the evil man that loads the sling" [1] which could also refer to a siege engine.

[1]: (Kennedy 2001, 110)


252 Akkadian Empire absent Inferred Expert -
Not shown in detailed military iconography. [1] [2] "Round and ovoid sling pellets have been dug up in early Sumer and Turkestan. Ovoid sling pellets have been unearthed at the neolithic sites on the Iranian tableland. In later times, the sling was used in Palestine and Syria. It was introduced in Egypt at a still later date." [3] On Naram-Sin’s Victory Stele "two men armed what may be a throw-stick or a sling, carrying either short or long darts or a container of sling bullets." [4]

[1]: (McIntosh 2005: 190) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/KK2E3KMD.

[2]: Hamblin 2006, 48

[3]: (Singh 1997, 90) Sarva Daman Singh. 1997. Ancient Indian Warfare: With Special Reference to the Vedic Period. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. Delhi.

[4]: (Foster 2016, 166) Foster, Benjamin R. 2016. The Age of Agade. Inventing Empire In Ancient Mesopotamia. Routledge. London.


253 Early Dynastic present Confident Expert -
"Troops also included archers and soldiers armed with slings and ovoid stones, probably mainly recruited among the hunters and fishermen of the south." [1] maceheads [2]

[1]: (McIntosh 2005: 187-188) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/KK2E3KMD.

[2]: Postgate 2007, 30-31


254 Southern Mesopotamia Neolithic absent Inferred Expert -
"As with the rest of the Near East, there is little evidence for warfare in Neolithic Mesopotamia." [1]

[1]: (Hamblin 2006: 33) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/4WM3RBTD.


255 Ubaid absent Inferred Expert -
"We have no evidence for warfare. In contrast with later periods, ’Ubaid seals show no depictions of weapons, prisoners, or combat scenes". [1]

[1]: (Stein 1994: 39) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/V94SXJRJ.


256 Ur - Dynasty III present Confident Expert -
slingshots [1] "Round and ovoid sling pellets have been dug up in early Sumer and Turkestan. Ovoid sling pellets have been unearthed at the neolithic sites on the Iranian tableland. In later times, the sling was used in Palestine and Syria. It was introduced in Egypt at a still later date." [2]

[1]: Rutkowski 2007, 21

[2]: (Singh 1997, 90) Sarva Daman Singh. 1997. Ancient Indian Warfare: With Special Reference to the Vedic Period. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. Delhi.


257 Achaemenid Empire present Confident Expert -
According to one military historian (data needs to be checked by an expert for this polity) Persian light infantry carried the bow and sling, and Cyrus also made them carry spear and sword. [1]

[1]: (Gabriel 2002, 162-163) Richard A Gabriel. 2002. The Great Armies of Antiquity. Praeger. Westport.


258 Ak Koyunlu absent Inferred Expert -
"The weapons used in the military forces of the Anatolian Principalities were bow and arrow, sword, shield, javelin, dagger, club, axe, catapult and arrade." [1]

[1]: (1994, 365) Ibrahim Kafesoglu. Ahmet Edip Uysal. Erdogan Mercil. Hidayet Yavuz Nuhoglu. 1994. A short history of Turkish-Islamic states (excluding the Ottoman state). Turkish Historical Society Printing House.


259 Susiana - Muhammad Jaffar present Inferred Expert -
"Round and ovoid sling pellets have been dug up in early Sumer and Turkestan. Ovoid sling pellets have been unearthed at the neolithic sites on the Iranian tableland. In later times, the sling was used in Palestine and Syria. It was introduced in Egypt at a still later date." [1]

[1]: (Singh 1997, 90) Sarva Daman Singh. 1997. Ancient Indian Warfare: With Special Reference to the Vedic Period. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. Delhi.


260 Elam - Awan Dynasty I present Confident Expert -
Slings had been present since the Chalcolithic. [1] "Round and ovoid sling pellets have been dug up in early Sumer and Turkestan. Ovoid sling pellets have been unearthed at the neolithic sites on the Iranian tableland. In later times, the sling was used in Palestine and Syria. It was introduced in Egypt at a still later date." [2] According to a military historian (a polity specialist needs to check this data): 4000 BCE in the Middle East and southeastern Europe: "sling, dagger, mace, and bow are common weapons". [3]

[1]: (Forouzan et al. 2012: 3534) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/ainsworth/items/itemKey/Q5RVEPUU.

[2]: (Singh 1997, 90) Sarva Daman Singh. 1997. Ancient Indian Warfare: With Special Reference to the Vedic Period. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. Delhi.

[3]: (Gabriel 2007, xii) Richard A Gabriel. 2007. Soldiers’ Lives Through History: The Ancient World. Greenwood Press. Westport.


261 Elam - Crisis Period present Confident Expert -
Slings had been present since the Chalcolithic. [1] Before the Archaemenid king Cyrus (c600 BCE), Persian light infantry carried only the bow and sling. [2]

[1]: (Forouzan et al. 2012: 3534) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/ainsworth/items/itemKey/Q5RVEPUU.

[2]: (Gabriel 2002, 162-163 Richard A Gabriel. 2002. The Great Armies of Antiquity. Praeger. Westport.


262 Elymais II present Inferred Expert -
Many ancient armies used slingers. Vulnerable to counter-attacks, slinger units were usually small and used at the start of the battle. Because of the training required to produce and effective slinger they were often hired mercenaries. [1] The Seleucids used slinger. [2]

[1]: (Gabriel 2002, 31) Richard A Gabriel. 2002. The Great Armies of Antiquity. Praeger. Westport.

[2]: Kosmin, P. J. 2013. Alexander the Great and the Seleucids in Iran. In, Potts, D. T (ed.) The Oxford Handbook of Ancient Iran. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp.671-689. p.680


263 Formative Period unknown Suspected Expert -
"Round and ovoid sling pellets have been dug up in early Sumer and Turkestan. Ovoid sling pellets have been unearthed at the neolithic sites on the Iranian tableland. In later times, the sling was used in Palestine and Syria. It was introduced in Egypt at a still later date." [1]

[1]: (Singh 1997, 90) Sarva Daman Singh. 1997. Ancient Indian Warfare: With Special Reference to the Vedic Period. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. Delhi.


264 Susiana A present Inferred Expert -
"Round and ovoid sling pellets have been dug up in early Sumer and Turkestan. Ovoid sling pellets have been unearthed at the neolithic sites on the Iranian tableland. In later times, the sling was used in Palestine and Syria. It was introduced in Egypt at a still later date." [1] 4500 BCE: "Sling invented at Catal Huyuk in Anatolia." [2] Early Sumer was c4500 BCE but also found at ’neolithic sites’ earlier than this.

[1]: (Singh 1997, 90) Sarva Daman Singh. 1997. Ancient Indian Warfare: With Special Reference to the Vedic Period. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. Delhi.

[2]: (Gabriel 2007, xii) Richard A Gabriel. 2007. Soldiers’ Lives Through History: The Ancient World. Greenwood Press. Westport.


265 Susiana - Late Ubaid present Confident Expert -
Archaeologist have found sling bullets at the Chalcolithic site of Chogha Gavaneh dating from 5000-4000 BCE. [1] "Round and ovoid sling pellets have been dug up in early Sumer and Turkestan. Ovoid sling pellets have been unearthed at the neolithic sites on the Iranian tableland. In later times, the sling was used in Palestine and Syria. It was introduced in Egypt at a still later date." [2] 4500 BCE: "Sling invented at Catal Huyuk in Anatolia." [3] Early Sumer was c4500 BCE but also found at ’neolithic sites’ earlier than this.

[1]: (Forouzan et al. 2012: 3534) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/ainsworth/items/itemKey/Q5RVEPUU.

[2]: (Singh 1997, 90) Sarva Daman Singh. 1997. Ancient Indian Warfare: With Special Reference to the Vedic Period. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. Delhi.

[3]: (Gabriel 2007, xii) Richard A Gabriel. 2007. Soldiers’ Lives Through History: The Ancient World. Greenwood Press. Westport.


266 Susiana - Early Ubaid present Confident Expert -
Archaeologist have found sling bullets at the Chalcolithic site of Chogha Gavaneh dating from 5000-4000 BCE. [1] "Round and ovoid sling pellets have been dug up in early Sumer and Turkestan. Ovoid sling pellets have been unearthed at the neolithic sites on the Iranian tableland. In later times, the sling was used in Palestine and Syria. It was introduced in Egypt at a still later date." [2] 4500 BCE: "Sling invented at Catal Huyuk in Anatolia." [3] Early Sumer was c4500 BCE but also found at ’neolithic sites’ earlier than this.

[1]: (Forouzan et al. 2012: 3534) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/5GSTDKNJ.

[2]: (Singh 1997, 90) Sarva Daman Singh. 1997. Ancient Indian Warfare: With Special Reference to the Vedic Period. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. Delhi.

[3]: (Gabriel 2007, xii) Richard A Gabriel. 2007. Soldiers’ Lives Through History: The Ancient World. Greenwood Press. Westport.


267 Elam - Kidinuid Period present Confident Expert -
Slings had been present since the Chalcolithic. [1] Before the Archaemenid king Cyrus (c600 BCE), Persian light infantry carried only the bow and sling. [2]

[1]: (Forouzan et al. 2012: 3534) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/ainsworth/items/itemKey/Q5RVEPUU.

[2]: (Gabriel 2002, 162-163 Richard A Gabriel. 2002. The Great Armies of Antiquity. Praeger. Westport.


268 Elam - Igihalkid Period present Confident Expert -
Slings had been present since the Chalcolithic. [1] Before the Archaemenid king Cyrus (c600 BCE), Persian light infantry carried only the bow and sling. [2]

[1]: (Forouzan et al. 2012: 3534) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/ainsworth/items/itemKey/Q5RVEPUU.

[2]: (Gabriel 2002, 162-163 Richard A Gabriel. 2002. The Great Armies of Antiquity. Praeger. Westport.


269 Elam - Shutrukid Period present Confident Expert -
Slings had been present since the Chalcolithic. [1] Before the Archaemenid king Cyrus (c600 BCE), Persian light infantry carried only the bow and sling. [2]

[1]: (Forouzan et al. 2012: 3534) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/ainsworth/items/itemKey/Q5RVEPUU.

[2]: (Gabriel 2002, 162-163 Richard A Gabriel. 2002. The Great Armies of Antiquity. Praeger. Westport.


270 Parthian Empire I present Inferred Expert -
"The infantry was composed of good quality hillmen, and of peasants who were of indifferent military worth." [1] Present in previous and subsequent periods.

[1]: (Penrose 2008, 221) Penrose, Jane. 2008. Rome and Her Enemies: An Empire Created and Destroyed by War. Osprey Publishing.


271 Parthian Empire II present Inferred Expert -
"The infantry was composed of good quality hillmen, and of peasants who were of indifferent military worth." [1]

[1]: (Penrose 2008, 221) Penrose, Jane. 2008. Rome and Her Enemies: An Empire Created and Destroyed by War. Osprey Publishing.


272 Pre-Ceramic Period unknown Suspected Expert -
"Round and ovoid sling pellets have been dug up in early Sumer and Turkestan. Ovoid sling pellets have been unearthed at the neolithic sites on the Iranian tableland. In later times, the sling was used in Palestine and Syria. It was introduced in Egypt at a still later date." [1]

[1]: (Singh 1997, 90) Sarva Daman Singh. 1997. Ancient Indian Warfare: With Special Reference to the Vedic Period. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. Delhi.


273 Seleucids present Confident Expert -
[1]

[1]: Kosmin, P. J. 2013. Alexander the Great and the Seleucids in Iran. In, Potts, D. T (ed.) The Oxford Handbook of Ancient Iran. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp.671-689. p.680


274 Elam - Shimashki Period present Confident Expert -
"Round and ovoid sling pellets have been dug up in early Sumer and Turkestan. Ovoid sling pellets have been unearthed at the neolithic sites on the Iranian tableland. In later times, the sling was used in Palestine and Syria. It was introduced in Egypt at a still later date." [1] The lament for Sumer and Ur mentions large stones fired from slings in the battle for Ur [2] Before the Archaemenid king Cyrus (c600 BCE), Persian light infantry carried only the bow and sling. [3]

[1]: (Singh 1997, 90) Sarva Daman Singh. 1997. Ancient Indian Warfare: With Special Reference to the Vedic Period. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. Delhi.

[2]: Hamblin, W. J. 2006. Warfare in the Ancient Near East to 1600 BC. New York: Routledge.

[3]: (Gabriel 2002, 162-163 Richard A Gabriel. 2002. The Great Armies of Antiquity. Praeger. Westport.


275 Elam - Early Sukkalmah present Inferred Expert -
Before the Archaemenid king Cyrus (c600 BCE), Persian light infantry carried only the bow and sling. [1]

[1]: (Gabriel 2002, 162-163 Richard A Gabriel. 2002. The Great Armies of Antiquity. Praeger. Westport.


276 Susa I present Confident Expert -
"Round and ovoid sling pellets have been dug up in early Sumer and Turkestan. Ovoid sling pellets have been unearthed at the neolithic sites on the Iranian tableland. In later times, the sling was used in Palestine and Syria. It was introduced in Egypt at a still later date." [1]

[1]: (Singh 1997, 90) Sarva Daman Singh. 1997. Ancient Indian Warfare: With Special Reference to the Vedic Period. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. Delhi.


277 Susa II present Confident Expert -
"Round and ovoid sling pellets have been dug up in early Sumer and Turkestan. Ovoid sling pellets have been unearthed at the neolithic sites on the Iranian tableland. In later times, the sling was used in Palestine and Syria. It was introduced in Egypt at a still later date." [1] According to a military historian (a polity specialist needs to check this data): 4000 BCE in the Middle East and southeastern Europe: "sling, dagger, mace, and bow are common weapons". [2]

[1]: (Singh 1997, 90) Sarva Daman Singh. 1997. Ancient Indian Warfare: With Special Reference to the Vedic Period. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. Delhi.

[2]: (Gabriel 2007, xii) Richard A Gabriel. 2007. Soldiers’ Lives Through History: The Ancient World. Greenwood Press. Westport.


278 Susa III present Confident Expert -
Archaeologist have found sling bullets at the Chalcolithic site of Chogha Gavaneh dating from 5000-4000 BCE. [1] "Round and ovoid sling pellets have been dug up in early Sumer and Turkestan. Ovoid sling pellets have been unearthed at the neolithic sites on the Iranian tableland. In later times, the sling was used in Palestine and Syria. It was introduced in Egypt at a still later date." [2] According to a military historian (a polity specialist needs to check this data): 4000 BCE in the Middle East and southeastern Europe: "sling, dagger, mace, and bow are common weapons". [3]

[1]: (Forouzan et al. 2012: 3534) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/ainsworth/items/itemKey/Q5RVEPUU.

[2]: (Singh 1997, 90) Sarva Daman Singh. 1997. Ancient Indian Warfare: With Special Reference to the Vedic Period. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. Delhi.

[3]: (Gabriel 2007, xii) Richard A Gabriel. 2007. Soldiers’ Lives Through History: The Ancient World. Greenwood Press. Westport.


279 Latium - Bronze Age present Inferred Expert -
Slings found at battle sites from the Early Bronze Age and "continued to be used by various cultures into the Middle Ages." [1]

[1]: (Howard 2011: 27) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/GRTPCZB4.


280 Latium - Iron Age present Inferred Expert -
Many ancient armies used slingers. Vulnerable to counter-attacks, slinger units were usually small and used at the start of the battle. Because of the training required to produce and effective slinger they were often hired mercenaries. [1]

[1]: (Gabriel 2002, 31) Richard A Gabriel. 2002. The Great Armies of Antiquity. Praeger. Westport.


281 Haudenosaunee Confederacy - Early absent Confident Expert -
Iroquois warfare is relatively well documented, so the fact that source do not mention slings suggests that there weren’t any, or that they weren’t particularly common.
282 Late Roman Republic present Confident Expert -
"Accounts of wars through the 1st century BC contain contingents already familiar from the Punic wars and Hellenistic armies of the past, including slingers from the Balearic Islands, archers from Crete and cavalry from Numidia and Gaul." [1]

[1]: (Pollard and Berry 2012, 22)


283 Middle Roman Republic present Confident Expert -
According to one military historian (don’t know if a Roman specialist - need to check), many ancient armies used slingers. They were vulnerable to counter-attacks, slinger units were usually small and used at the start of the battle. Because of the training required to produce and effective slinger they were often hired mercenaries. [1] Balearic slingers (mercenaries). [2] According to Livy, Servian Classes IV and V were skirmishers, who carried a sling. [3]

[1]: (Gabriel 2002, 31) Richard A Gabriel. 2002. The Great Armies of Antiquity. Praeger. Westport.

[2]: (Dupuy and Dupuy 2007)

[3]: (Fields 2007, 5)


284 Roman Kingdom present Inferred Expert -
According to a military historian (can a Roman expert confirm whether the data applies to this polity?) many ancient armies used slingers. Vulnerable to counter-attacks, slinger units were usually small and used at the start of the battle. Because of the training required to produce and effective slinger they were often hired mercenaries. [1] Stones. [2] Perhaps carried by Servian classes IV and V. [3]

[1]: (Gabriel 2002, 31) Richard A Gabriel. 2002. The Great Armies of Antiquity. Praeger. Westport.

[2]: (Cornell 1995, 179)

[3]: (Fields 2011)


285 Asuka present Confident Expert -
"Slings, used to hurl fist-sized rocks or spheres of clay shaped roughly like miniature rugby balls, also appeared during the Yaoi age, distributed in a geographic pattern that suggests mutually exclusive regional preferences for the sling or the bow." [1]

[1]: (Friday 2004, 68) Karl F Friday. 2005. Samurai, Warfare and the State in Early Medieval Japan. Routledge. New York.


286 Heian present Confident Expert -
"Slings, used to hurl fist-sized rocks or spheres of clay shaped roughly like miniature rugby balls, also appeared during the Yaoi age, distributed in a geographic pattern that suggests mutually exclusive regional preferences for the sling or the bow." [1]

[1]: (Friday 2004, 68) Karl F Friday. 2005. Samurai, Warfare and the State in Early Medieval Japan. Routledge. New York.


287 Japan - Initial Jomon absent Confident Expert -
No archaeological evidence for this. Moreover, the scholarly consensus is that the Jomon were relatively peaceful.
288 Japan - Early Jomon absent Confident Expert -
No archaeological evidence for this. Moreover, the scholarly consensus is that the Jomon were relatively peaceful.
289 Japan - Late Jomon absent Confident Expert -
No archaeological evidence for this. Moreover, the scholarly consensus is that the Jomon were relatively peaceful.
290 Japan - Final Jomon absent Confident Expert -
No archaeological evidence for this. Moreover, the scholarly consensus is that the Jomon were relatively peaceful.
291 Kamakura Shogunate present Inferred Expert -
"Slings, used to hurl fist-sized rocks or spheres of clay shaped roughly like miniature rugby balls, also appeared during the Yaoi age, distributed in a geographic pattern that suggests mutually exclusive regional preferences for the sling or the bow." [1]

[1]: (Friday 2004, 68) Karl F Friday. 2005. Samurai, Warfare and the State in Early Medieval Japan. Routledge. New York.


292 Kansai - Kofun Period present Confident Expert -
"Slings, used to hurl fist-sized rocks or spheres of clay shaped roughly like miniature rugby balls, also appeared during the Yaoi age, distributed in a geographic pattern that suggests mutually exclusive regional preferences for the sling or the bow." [1]

[1]: (Friday 2004, 68) Karl F Friday. 2005. Samurai, Warfare and the State in Early Medieval Japan. Routledge. New York.


293 Nara Kingdom absent Confident Expert -
absent, although they had been present in the much earlier Yayoi period (c.300BCE-300CE). [1]

[1]: Friday, Karl F. 2004. Samurai, Warfare and the State in Early Medieval Japan. Psychology Press.p.68.


294 Warring States Japan absent Confident Expert -
absent, although they had been present in the much earlier Yayoi period (c.300BCE-300CE). [1]

[1]: Friday, Karl F. 2004. Samurai, Warfare and the State in Early Medieval Japan. Psychology Press.p.68.


295 Tokugawa Shogunate absent Confident Expert -
although they had been present in the much earlier Yayoi period (c.300BCE-300CE). [1]

[1]: Friday, Karl F. 2004. Samurai, Warfare and the State in Early Medieval Japan. Psychology Press.p.68.


296 Kansai - Yayoi Period present Confident Expert -
"Slings, used to hurl fist-sized rocks or spheres of clay shaped roughly like miniature rugby balls, also appeared during the Yaoi age, distributed in a geographic pattern that suggests mutually exclusive regional preferences for the sling or the bow." [1]

[1]: (Friday 2004, 68) Karl F Friday. 2005. Samurai, Warfare and the State in Early Medieval Japan. Routledge. New York.


297 Early Angkor absent Inferred Expert -
Jacq-Hergoualc’h’s in-depth and authoritative analysis of Khmer weaponry includes no mention of slings. [1]

[1]: (Jacq-Hergoualc’h and Smithies 2007)


298 Khmer Kingdom absent Inferred Expert -
Jacq-Hergoualc’h’s in-depth and authoritative analysis of Khmer weaponry includes no mention of slings. [1]

[1]: (Jacq-Hergoualc’h and Smithies 2007)


299 Chenla absent Inferred Expert -
Jacq-Hergoualc’h’s in-depth and authoritative analysis of Khmer weaponry includes no mention of slings. [1]

[1]: (Jacq-Hergoualc’h 2007) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/GAJMIR4G.


300 Funan I absent Inferred Expert -
Jacq-Hergoualc’h’s in-depth and authoritative analysis of Khmer weaponry includes no mention of slings. [1]

[1]: (Jacq-Hergoualc’h 2007) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/GAJMIR4G.


301 Funan II absent Inferred Expert -
Jacq-Hergoualc’h’s in-depth and authoritative analysis of Khmer weaponry includes no mention of slings. [1]

[1]: (Jacq-Hergoualc’h 2007) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/GAJMIR4G.


302 Bamana kingdom present Inferred Expert -
Reference for pre-colonial West African warfare: projectile weapons included the sling. [1]

[1]: (Smith 1989, 64) Robert Sydney Smith. 1989. Warfare & Diplomacy in Pre-colonial West Africa. Second Edition. The University of Wisconsin Press. Madison.


303 Proto-Haudenosaunee Confederacy absent Inferred Expert -
Many sources mention thrown and ranged projectile weapons, but no mention of slings.
304 Segou Kingdom present Inferred Expert -
Reference for pre-colonial West African warfare: projectile weapons included the sling. [1]

[1]: (Smith 1989, 64) Robert Sydney Smith. 1989. Warfare & Diplomacy in Pre-colonial West Africa. Second Edition. The University of Wisconsin Press. Madison.


305 Early Monte Alban I unknown Suspected Expert -
Sources [1] only mention very little archaeological evidence for weaponry for this period, and this does not include slings. However, weapons made from wood and cloth have been documented for the later periods, so their absence in the archaeological record may be due to preservation bias. Moreover, Spanish documents record the use of slings at the end of the Monte Alban V period. [2]

[1]: Marcus and Flannery (1996) Zapotec Civilization: How urban society evolved in Mexico’s Oaxaca Valley. Flannery and Marcus (1983) The Cloud People: divergent evolution of the Zapotec and Mixtec civilizations. Museum of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Academic Press, New York.

[2]: Flannery and Marcus (1983) The Cloud People. New York. p217-8


306 Monte Alban Late I unknown Suspected Expert -
Sources [1] only mention very little archaeological evidence for weaponry for this period, and this does not include slings. However, weapons made from wood and cloth have been documented for the later periods, so their absence in the archaeological record may be due to preservation bias. Moreover, Spanish documents record the use of slings at the end of the Monte Alban V period. [2]

[1]: Marcus and Flannery (1996) Zapotec Civilization: How urban society evolved in Mexico’s Oaxaca Valley. Flannery and Marcus (1983) The Cloud People: divergent evolution of the Zapotec and Mixtec civilizations. Museum of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Academic Press, New York.

[2]: Flannery and Marcus (1983) The Cloud People. New York. p217-8


307 Monte Alban II unknown Suspected Expert -
Sources [1] only mention very little archaeological evidence for weaponry for this period, and this does not include slings. However, weapons made from wood and cloth have been documented for the later periods, so their absence in the archaeological record may be due to preservation bias. Moreover, Spanish documents record the use of slings at the end of the Monte Alban V period. [2]

[1]: Marcus and Flannery (1996) Zapotec Civilization: How urban society evolved in Mexico’s Oaxaca Valley. Flannery and Marcus (1983) The Cloud People: divergent evolution of the Zapotec and Mixtec civilizations. Museum of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Academic Press, New York.

[2]: Flannery and Marcus (1983) The Cloud People. New York. p217-8


308 Monte Alban III present Inferred Expert -
Sources [1] only mention very little archaeological evidence for weaponry for this period, and this does not include slings. However, weapons made from wood and cloth have been documented for the later periods, so their absence in the archaeological record may be due to preservation bias. Moreover, Spanish documents record the use of slings at the end of the Monte Alban V period. [2] David Carballo (pers. comm.) wrote that slings for projecting stone and ceramic slingshots were present. [3]

[1]: Marcus and Flannery (1996) Zapotec Civilization: How urban society evolved in Mexico’s Oaxaca Valley. Flannery and Marcus (1983) The Cloud People: divergent evolution of the Zapotec and Mixtec civilizations. Museum of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Academic Press, New York.

[2]: Flannery and Marcus (1983) The Cloud People. New York. p217-8

[3]: (Carballo, David. Personal Communication with Jill Levine, Dan Hoyer, and Peter Turchin. Email. April 2020)


309 Monte Alban IIIB and IV present Inferred Expert -
Sources [1] only mention very little archaeological evidence for weaponry for this period, and this does not include slings. However, weapons made from wood and cloth have been documented for the later periods, so their absence in the archaeological record may be due to preservation bias. Moreover, Spanish documents record the use of slings at the end of the Monte Alban V period. [2] David Carballo (pers. comm.) wrote that slings for projecting stone and ceramic slingshots were present. [3]

[1]: Marcus and Flannery (1996) Zapotec Civilization: How urban society evolved in Mexico’s Oaxaca Valley. Flannery and Marcus (1983) The Cloud People: divergent evolution of the Zapotec and Mixtec civilizations. Museum of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Academic Press, New York.

[2]: Flannery and Marcus (1983) The Cloud People. New York. p217-8

[3]: (Carballo, David. Personal Communication with Jill Levine, Dan Hoyer, and Peter Turchin. Email. April 2020)


310 Aztec Empire present Confident Expert -
Listed by Hassig. [1]

[1]: (Hassig 1992: 248) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/E9VHCKDG.


311 Classic Basin of Mexico present Confident Expert -
"Slings continued to be used but, as commoner weapons, they were not depicted in Teotihuacan art." [1]

[1]: (Hassig 1992: 47) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/E9VHCKDG.


312 Epiclassic Basin of Mexico present Confident Expert -
"...[the armor]was very effective against slingstones which relied on impact rather than penetration, and this protection grew as atlatl fire forced slingers back to greater and less effective distances." [1]

[1]: (Hassig 1992: 82) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/E9VHCKDG.


313 Early Formative Basin of Mexico present Inferred Expert -
Ross Hassig (1992) interprets the small, round stone balls excavated from Middle Formative sites in the BOM and across Mesoamerica as sling stones. [1]

[1]: Hassig, Ross. (1992). "War and Society in Ancient Mesoamerica." Berkeley: University of California Press, p.28-9.


314 Late Formative Basin of Mexico present Confident Expert -
the small, round stone balls excavated from Late/Terminal Formative sites in the Basin of Mexico and across Mesoamerica as sling stones. [1] [2] increased frequency of groundstone balls (3-10cm) found in Late/terminal Formative; these represent either slings or bolas [2]

[1]: Hassig, Ross. (1992). "War and Society in Ancient Mesoamerica." Berkeley: University of California Press, p.28-9.

[2]: Tolstoy, Paul (1971). "Utilitarian Artifacts of Central Mexico." In The Handbook of Middle American Indians, vol. 10, ed. G. F. Ekholm, and I. Bernal. Austin: University of Texas Press, 270-296.


315 Kingdom of Hawaii - Kamehameha Period present Confident Expert -
Slings were used in warfare [1] [2] .

[1]: Kirch, P. V. 2010. How Chiefs Became Kings: Divine Kingship and the Rise of Archaic States in Ancient Hawai’i. Berkeley: University of California Press. Pg. 70.

[2]: Kirch, P. V. 1985. Feathered Gods and Fishhooks: An Introduction to Hawaiian Archaeology and Prehistory. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. Pg. 273.


316 Terminal Formative Basin of Mexico present Confident Expert -
The small, round stone balls excavated from Late/Terminal Formative sites in the Basin of Mexico and across Mesoamerica as sling stones. [1] [2] increased frequency of groundstone balls (3-10cm) found in Late/terminal Formative; these represent either slings or bolas [2]

[1]: Hassig, Ross. (1992). "War and Society in Ancient Mesoamerica." Berkeley: University of California Press, p.28-9.

[2]: Tolstoy, Paul (1971). "Utilitarian Artifacts of Central Mexico." In The Handbook of Middle American Indians, vol. 10, ed. G. F. Ekholm, and I. Bernal. Austin: University of Texas Press, 270-296.


317 Initial Formative Basin of Mexico absent Inferred Expert -
"Little is known about warfare in Mesoamerica before the Middle Formative [...] warfare was relatively unorganized, conducted by small groups armed with unspecialized tool-weapons". [1]

[1]: (Hassig 1992: 12-13) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/E9VHCKDG.


318 Middle Postclassic Basin of Mexico present Confident Expert -
"Most Aztec arms had been used by earlier groups [the main Aztec projectile weapons were atlatls, bows, and slings".EXTERNAL_INLINE_REFERENCE: ;(Hassig 1992: 137) Seshat URL: EXTERNAL_INLINE_LINK: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/E9VHCKDG .;
319 Kachi Plain - Pre-Urban Period absent Confident Expert -
Not mentioned in detailed descriptions/lists of finds from Mehrgarh. "War technology is not well represented" before the Indus period. [1]

[1]: (Kenoyer 1991: 347) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/A7DS8UKX.


320 Oaxaca - Rosario unknown Suspected Expert -
Sources [1] only mention very little archaeological evidence for weaponry for this period, and this does not include slings. However, weapons made from wood and cloth have been documented for the later periods, so their absence in the archaeological record may be due to preservation bias. Moreover, Spanish documents record the use of slings at the end of the Monte Alban V period. [2]

[1]: Marcus and Flannery (1996) Zapotec Civilization: How urban society evolved in Mexico’s Oaxaca Valley. Flannery and Marcus (1983) The Cloud People: divergent evolution of the Zapotec and Mixtec civilizations. Museum of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Academic Press, New York.

[2]: Flannery and Marcus (1983) The Cloud People. New York. p217-8


321 Oaxaca - San Jose unknown Suspected Expert -
Relative to this period, sources only mention the atlatl and spears. [1] However, weapons made from wood and cloth have been documented for the later periods, so the absence of weapons other than the atlatl and spears in the archaeological record may be due to preservation bias. It is also worth noting that Spanish documents record the use of slings at the end of the Monte Alban V period. [2]

[1]: Marcus and Flannery (1996) Zapotec Civilization: How urban society evolved in Mexico’s Oaxaca Valley. Flannery and Marcus (1983) The Cloud People: divergent evolution of the Zapotec and Mixtec civilizations. Museum of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Academic Press, New York.

[2]: Flannery and Marcus (1983) The Cloud People. New York. p217-8


322 Oaxaca - Tierras Largas unknown Suspected Expert -
Relative to this period, sources only mention the atlatl and spears. [1] However, weapons made from wood and cloth have been documented for the later periods, so the absence of weapons other than the atlatl and spears in the archaeological record may be due to preservation bias. It is also worth noting that Spanish documents record the use of slings at the end of the Monte Alban V period. [2]

[1]: Marcus and Flannery (1996) Zapotec Civilization: How urban society evolved in Mexico’s Oaxaca Valley. Flannery and Marcus (1983) The Cloud People: divergent evolution of the Zapotec and Mixtec civilizations. Museum of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Academic Press, New York.

[2]: Flannery and Marcus (1983) The Cloud People. New York. p217-8


323 Kingdom of Norway II present Inferred Expert -
[The evidence here is problematic. The only evidence is from a later recorded saga and it seems to suggest that slings were in use for the whole period. There is no archaeological evidence as they were made from leather.]
324 Cuzco - Late Intermediate II present Confident Expert -
"A midden at Pukara Pantillijlla dated to the thirteenth century contained sling balls and two stone axes." [1]

[1]: (Covey 2006a, 95)


325 Wari Empire present Confident Expert -
Marjes Valley (at Beringa and La Real) finds include slings (hondas) [1]

[1]: (Tung 2007, 944)


326 Orokaiva - Pre-Colonial present Confident Expert -
’The Sling. The sling (taiha) is said to have been once a genuine weapon, yet the early reports contain no mention of it as being used by the hostile natives. W. E. Armit speaks of the men of the Upper Kumusi and Yodda river as ‘stone-throwers and rushing natives’, but other stories tell of the natives sometimes attacking with no weapons save large stones which they had picked up on the track, and there is no reason to suppose that the stone-throwers mentioned by Mr. Armit threw with anything but their hands. Now, at any rate, the sling is little more than a toy, though why elderly men should sometimes carry these playthings in their bags I have not been able to discover. In the typical example the pouch is of roughly netted string (Plate XVIIIb). Of the attached strings one is in the form of a loop, which is passed round a finger; the other is released in throwing.’ [1] Slings were assumed present despite of the ambiguities in Williams’ account. This remains in need of further confirmation.

[1]: Williams, F. E. (Francis Edgar), and Hubert Murray. 1930. “Orokaiva Society.”, 83


327 Orokaiva - Colonial present Confident Expert -
The Sling. The sling (taiha) is said to have been once a genuine weapon, yet the early reports contain no mention of it as being used by the hostile natives. W. E. Armit speaks of the men of the Upper Kumusi and Yodda river as ‘stone-throwers and rushing natives’, but other stories tell of the natives sometimes attacking with no weapons save large stones which they had picked up on the track, and there is no reason to suppose that the stone-throwers mentioned by Mr. Armit threw with anything but their hands. Now, at any rate, the sling is little more than a toy, though why elderly men should sometimes carry these playthings in their bags I have not been able to discover. In the typical example the pouch is of roughly netted string (Plate XVIIIb). Of the attached strings one is in the form of a loop, which is passed round a finger; the other is released in throwing. [1]

[1]: Williams, F. E. (Francis Edgar), and Hubert Murray. 1930. “Orokaiva Society.”, 83


328 Kachi Plain - Aceramic Neolithic absent Confident Expert -
Not mentioned in detailed descriptions/lists of finds from Mehrgarh. "War technology is not well represented". [1] Only flint, bone and copper tools tools have been found at Mehrgarh [2]

[1]: (Kenoyer 1991: 347) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/A7DS8UKX/q/kenoyer.

[2]: Petrie, C. A. (in press) Chapter 11, Case Study: Mehrgarh. In, Barker, G and Goucher, C (eds.) Cambridge World History, Volume 2: A World with Agriculture, 12,000 BCE - 500 CE. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge


329 Kachi Plain - Ceramic Neolithic absent Confident Expert -
Not mentioned in detailed descriptions/lists of finds from Mehrgarh. "War technology is not well represented". [1] Only flint, bone and copper tools tools have been found at Mehrgarh [2]

[1]: (Kenoyer 1991: 347) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/A7DS8UKX/q/kenoyer.

[2]: Petrie, C. A. (in press) Chapter 11, Case Study: Mehrgarh. In, Barker, G and Goucher, C (eds.) Cambridge World History, Volume 2: A World with Agriculture, 12,000 BCE - 500 CE. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge


330 Kachi Plain - Chalcolithic absent Confident Expert -
Not mentioned in detailed descriptions/lists of finds from Mehrgarh. "War technology is not well represented". [1] Only flint, bone and copper tools tools have been found at Mehrgarh [2]

[1]: (Kenoyer 1991: 347) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/A7DS8UKX/q/kenoyer.

[2]: Petrie, C. A. (in press) Chapter 11, Case Study: Mehrgarh. In, Barker, G and Goucher, C (eds.) Cambridge World History, Volume 2: A World with Agriculture, 12,000 BCE - 500 CE. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge


331 Cahokia - Early Woodland absent Inferred Expert -
The atlatl was the main weapon of this region before the introduction of the bow c300-400 CE. [1] [2]

[1]: (Blitz and Porth 2013, 89-95)

[2]: (Iseminger 2010, 24) Iseminger, W R. 2010. Cahokia Mounds: America’s First City. The History Press. Charleston.


332 Kachi Plain - Urban Period I absent Inferred Expert -
"Terracotta balls, interpreted as sling-stones or throwing stones (Wheeler 1968: 76-77) are also common finds at major Indus cities, and although explicitly considered by Wheeler, they have largely been ignored. [...] However, it is very likely that the majority of them, especially the smaller examples, were meant for hunting small birds and animals, a point Mackay acknowledges." [1] "Small, perforated spherical objects of various sizes have been interpreted in a number of ways: as mace heads, digging stick weights, or bolas components." [2] Bolas are "weapon, used particularly in the ancient Americas, for catching animals. It consisted of one or several lengths of rope to which stone balls were attached, and was thrown to entangle an animal’s legs, bringing it down. It has been suggested that the Harappan perforated balls, which are usually called mace heads, may have been part of such a device." [3]

[1]: (Cork 2006: 170) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/IQQCEMPC/q/cork.

[2]: (McIntosh 2008, 314) Jane McIntosh. 2008. The Ancient Indus Valley. Santa Barbara; Denver; Oxford: ABC-CLIO.

[3]: (McIntosh 2008, 405) Jane McIntosh. 2008. The Ancient Indus Valley. Santa Barbara; Denver; Oxford: ABC-CLIO.


333 Kachi Plain - Urban Period II absent Inferred Expert -
"Terracotta balls, interpreted as sling-stones or throwing stones (Wheeler 1968: 76-77) are also common finds at major Indus cities, and although explicitly considered by Wheeler, they have largely been ignored. [...] However, it is very likely that the majority of them, especially the smaller examples, were meant for hunting small birds and animals, a point Mackay acknowledges." [1] "Small, perforated spherical objects of various sizes have been interpreted in a number of ways: as mace heads, digging stick weights, or bolas components." [2] Bolas are "weapon, used particularly in the ancient Americas, for catching animals. It consisted of one or several lengths of rope to which stone balls were attached, and was thrown to entangle an animal’s legs, bringing it down. It has been suggested that the Harappan perforated balls, which are usually called mace heads, may have been part of such a device." [3]

[1]: (Cork 2006: 170) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/IQQCEMPC/q/cork.

[2]: (McIntosh 2008, 314)

[3]: (McIntosh 2008, 405)


334 Egypt - Kushite Period present Confident Expert -
"The sling is shown being used in assault on towns in the early Middle Kingdom tombs at Beni Hasan. Examples found in the tomb of Tutankhamun were made of linen. Despite its rare appearance in battle scenes, it was probably widely used. [...] A sling shot from the Ptolemaic and Roman periods could be made of lead, and carried inscribed messages for the unfortunate recipient." [1]

[1]: (Morkot 2010: 222) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/AHFJE5Z2.


335 Rattanakosin absent Inferred Expert -
Inferred from the fact that slings do not feature among the "personal weapons" mentioned in Charney’s [1] comprehensive summary of Southeast Asian military technology and organisation between the early modern period and the nineteenth century.

[1]: (Charney 2004)


336 Fatimid Caliphate present Inferred Expert -
"10th-century Berber forces, though they did not abandon the massed use of infantry slingers against enemy horses, had adopted spear-armed Arab cavalry styles, while of foot many of them used Arab bows." [1] The Fatimid arsenals contained slings. [2]

[1]: (Nicolle 2001, 17) Nicolle, D. 2001. The Moors: The Islamic West 7th-15th Centuries AD. Osprey Publishing.

[2]: (Hamblin 2005, 749) Shillington, K. ed. 2005. Encyclopedia of African History: A - G.. 1. Taylor & Francis.


337 Konya Plain - Early Bronze Age present Inferred Expert -
4000 BCE in the Middle East and southeastern Europe: "sling, dagger, mace, and bow are common weapons". [1]

[1]: (Gabriel 2007, xii) Richard A Gabriel. 2007. Soldiers’ Lives Through History: The Ancient World. Greenwood Press. Westport.


338 Konya Plain - Late Bronze Age II unknown Suspected Expert -
The written sources do not allow us to draw any conclusions concerning the use of the sling in the Hittite army, whereas it seems likely that the enemies of the Hittites made use of this weapon [1] .

[1]: Lorenz J. and I. Schrakamp (2011) Hittite Military and Warfare, pp. 138 [In:] H. Genz and D. P. Mielke (ed.) Insights Into Hittite History And Archaeology, Colloquia Antiqua 2, Leuven, Paris, Walpole MA: PEETERS, pp. 125-138


339 Byzantine Empire I present Confident Expert -
Preiser-Kapeller says present. [1]

[1]: (Johannes Preiser-Kapeller 2015) Institute for Medieval Research, Division of Byzantine Research, Austrian Academy of Sciences)


340 Byzantine Empire II present Confident Expert -
Preiser-Kapeller says present. [1]

[1]: (Preiser-Kapeller 2015) Institute for Medieval Research, Division of Byzantine Research, Austrian Academy of Sciences)


341 Late Cappadocia present Confident Expert -
Many ancient armies used slingers. Vulnerable to counter-attacks, slinger units were usually small and used at the start of the battle. Because of the training required to produce and effective slinger they were often hired mercenaries. [1] “Inscribed sling bullets provide a better parallel to the coinage we are studying. Sling bullets are often inscribed with a personal name, either in the nominative or in the genitive.” [2]

[1]: (Gabriel 2002, 31) Richard A Gabriel. 2002. The Great Armies of Antiquity. Praeger. Westport.

[2]: Iossif, P. P and Lorber, C. C. (2010) Hypaithros: A Numismatic Contribution to the Military History of Cappadocia. Historia, Band 59/4, Franz Steiner Verlag, Stuttgart. p444


342 Konya Plain - Early Chalcolithic present Confident Expert -
At the site of Can Hasan I, clay sling bullet was found, which may suggest the use of slings. [1] 4500 BCE: "Sling invented at Catal Huyuk in Anatolia." [2] The shape and appearance of the blunt force traumatic injuries identified at Çatalhöyük are consistent with injuries from both handheld blunt objects but also from projectiles - thrown stones or other objects. The number, shape, and location on the top and back of the cranium suggest that objects, thrown or sling-delivered, support an association. [3] At the site of Canhasan I, clay sling bullet was found [4] , which may suggest the use of slings, but whether it was used for warfare purposes is unknown.

[1]: (French 2010: 44) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/U6GA7BJN.

[2]: (Gabriel 2007, xii) Richard A Gabriel. 2007. Soldiers’ Lives Through History: The Ancient World. Greenwood Press. Westport.

[3]: Christopher J. Knüsel, Bonnie Glencross, ‘Çatalhöyük, Archaeology, Violence’, ‘’Contagion: Journal of Violence, Mimesis, and Culture’’, Volume 24, 2017, pp. 29-32

[4]: French D. 2010."Canhasan I: The Small Finds", The British Institute at Ankara. pg. 44.


343 Konya Plain - Late Chalcolithic present Confident Expert -
"The best-preserved Chalcolithic Anatolian fortress at Mersin, which was strongly fortified with wall, gate and glacis, dating from about 4500. Storefrooms near the gate had piles of slingstones ready for use by defenders […]." [1] Sling. [2] [2] Sling bullets. [3] Sling pellets (Yumuktepe). [4] 4500 BCE: "Sling invented at Catal Huyuk in Anatolia." [5] 4000 BCE in the Middle East and southeastern Europe: "sling, dagger, mace, and bow are common weapons". [5]

[1]: (Hamblin 2006: 286) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/4WM3RBTD.

[2]: The Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Ages in the Near East and Anatolia, James Mellaart, KHAYATS Beirut1966, p.102

[3]: Excavations at Can Hasan, 1965: Fifth Preliminary Report, D. H. French Source: Anatolian Studies, Vol. 16 1966, British Institute at Ankara, pp. 116

[4]: Yumuktepe Höyüğü 2010 Isabella CANEVA - Gülgün KÖROĞLU,News of Archaeology from ANATOLIA’S MEDITERRANEAN AREAS, 2011-9, pp.137

[5]: (Gabriel 2007, xii) Richard A Gabriel. 2007. Soldiers’ Lives Through History: The Ancient World. Greenwood Press. Westport.


344 East Roman Empire present Confident Expert -
"Light infantry wore quilted jerkins, may have carried small shields, and were armed with slings, bows, or javelins." [1]

[1]: (Haldon 2008, 474) Jeffreys E, Haldon J and Cormack R eds. 2008. The Oxford Handbook of Byzantine Studies. Oxford University Press. Oxford.


345 Hatti - New Kingdom unknown Suspected Expert -
The written sources do not allow us to draw any conclusions concerning the use of the sling in the Hittite army, whereas it seems likely that the enemies of the Hittites made use of this weapon [1] .

[1]: Lorenz J. and I. Schrakamp (2011) Hittite Military and Warfare, pp. 138 [In:] H. Genz and D. P. Mielke (ed.) Insights Into Hittite History And Archaeology, Colloquia Antiqua 2, Leuven, Paris, Walpole MA: PEETERS, pp. 125-138


346 Hatti - Old Kingdom unknown Suspected Expert -
The written sources do not allow us to draw any conclusions concerning the use of the sling in the Hittite army, whereas it seems likely that the enemies of the Hittites made use of this weapon [1] .

[1]: Lorenz J. and I. Schrakamp (2011) Hittite Military and Warfare, pp. 138 [In:] H. Genz and D. P. Mielke (ed.) Insights Into Hittite History And Archaeology, Colloquia Antiqua 2, Leuven, Paris, Walpole MA: PEETERS, pp. 125-138


347 Lysimachus Kingdom present Confident Expert -
[1] Many ancient armies used slingers. Vulnerable to counter-attacks, slinger units were usually small and used at the start of the battle. Because of the training required to produce an effective slinger they were often hired mercenaries. [2]

[1]: Webber, C. (2003) Odrysian Cavalry, Army, Equipment and Tactics. Bar International Series 1139, pp. 529-554. p549

[2]: (Gabriel 2002, 31) Richard A Gabriel. 2002. The Great Armies of Antiquity. Praeger. Westport.


348 Konya Plain - Ceramic Neolithic unknown Suspected Expert -
According to a military historian (this data needs to be checked by a polity specialist) 4500 BCE: "Sling invented at Catal Huyuk in Anatolia." [1] The shape and appearance of the blunt force traumatic injuries identified at Çatalhöyük are consistent with injuries from both handheld blunt objects but also from projectiles - thrown stones or other objects. The number, shape, and location on the top and back of the cranium suggest that objects, thrown or sling-delivered, support an association. [2]

[1]: (Gabriel 2007, xii) Richard A Gabriel. 2007. Soldiers’ Lives Through History: The Ancient World. Greenwood Press. Westport.

[2]: Christopher J. Knüsel, Bonnie Glencross, ‘Çatalhöyük, Archaeology, Violence’, ‘’Contagion: Journal of Violence, Mimesis, and Culture’’, Volume 24, 2017, pp. 29-32


349 Konya Plain - Early Neolithic present Inferred Expert -
At Çatalhöyük clay balls have been interpreted as sling ammunition."The use of the sling is alos attested in wall art that features a purported slinger." [1]

[1]: (Knüsel: Glencross and Milella 2019: 83) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/WH6NHDHM.


350 Konya Plain - Late Neolithic present Confident Expert -
"At Çatalhöyük clay balls have been interpreted as sling ammunition. "The use of the sling is alos attested in wall art that features a purported slinger." [1] According to a military historian (this data needs to be checked by a polity specialist) 4500 BCE: "Sling invented at Catal Huyuk in Anatolia." [2] The shape and appearance of the blunt force traumatic injuries identified at Çatalhöyük are consistent with injuries from both handheld blunt objects but also from projectiles - thrown stones or other objects. The number, shape, and location on the top and back of the cranium suggest that objects, thrown or sling-delivered, support an association. [3] At the site of Canhasan I, clay sling bullet was found [4] , which may suggest the use of slings, but whether it was used for warfare purposes is unknown.

[1]: (Knüsel: Glencross and Milella 2019: 83) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/WH6NHDHM.

[2]: (Gabriel 2007, xii) Richard A Gabriel. 2007. Soldiers’ Lives Through History: The Ancient World. Greenwood Press. Westport.

[3]: Christopher J. Knüsel, Bonnie Glencross, ‘Çatalhöyük, Archaeology, Violence’, ‘’Contagion: Journal of Violence, Mimesis, and Culture’’, Volume 24, 2017, pp. 29-32

[4]: French D. 2010."Canhasan I: The Small Finds", The British Institute at Ankara. pg. 44.


351 Ottoman Empire II present Confident Expert -
Early Janissaries used weapons such as bows, slings, crossbows and javelins. "not until the end of the 16th century did the majority have tüfek matchlocks." [1]

[1]: (Nicolle 1983, 10)


352 Ottoman Empire III absent Inferred Expert -
Early Janissaries used weapons such as bows, slings, crossbows and javelins. "not until the end of the 16th century did the majority have tüfek matchlocks." [1]

[1]: (Nicolle 1983, 10)


353 Rum Sultanate unknown Suspected Expert -
Present for the expert-checked Fatimid period but there is no explanatory text there to confirm whether they were used beyond the 10th century CE. We currently code unknown for Seljuks and the Second Abbasid Caliphate. Lack of data might indicate absence.
354 Early Illinois Confederation absent Inferred Expert -
Sources only mention bows and arrows, muskets, war-clubs, knives, and hatchets [1] . It should be noted that sources that specifically describe the way the Illinois Confederation waged war are relatively rare.

[1]: Illinois State Museum, The Illinois, Technology: Weapons (2000), http://www.museum.state.il.us/muslink/nat_amer/post/htmls/te_houses.html


355 Cahokia - Late Woodland II absent Inferred Expert -
The atlatl was the main weapon of this region before the introduction of the bow c300-400 CE. [1] [2]

[1]: (Blitz and Porth 2013, 89-95)

[2]: (Iseminger 2010, 24) Iseminger, W R. 2010. Cahokia Mounds: America’s First City. The History Press. Charleston.


356 Cahokia - Late Woodland III absent Inferred Expert -
The atlatl was the main weapon of this region before the introduction of the bow c300-400 CE. [1] [2]

[1]: (Blitz and Porth 2013, 89-95)

[2]: (Iseminger 2010, 24) Iseminger, W R. 2010. Cahokia Mounds: America’s First City. The History Press. Charleston.


357 Cahokia - Late Woodland I absent Inferred Expert -
The atlatl was the main weapon of this region before the introduction of the bow c300-400 CE. [1] [2]

[1]: (Blitz and Porth 2013, 89-95)

[2]: (Iseminger 2010, 24) Iseminger, W R. 2010. Cahokia Mounds: America’s First City. The History Press. Charleston.


358 Oneota absent Confident Expert -
Code checked by Peter Peregrine. Previous notes: Archaeological evidence for warfare appears to "only" include "[d]efensive structures around villages, violent injuries on human remains, "trophy heads," the abandonment of regions, and the positioning of sites in ever more defensive positions" [1] , though a few weapon types can be cautiously inferred, such as bow and arrows and spears [2] , and, at a later date, firearms [3] .

[1]: G. Gibbon, Oneota, in P. Peregrine, M. Ember and Human Relations Area Files, Inc. (eds.) Encyclopedia of Prehistory: Volume 6: North America (2001), p. 391

[2]: P.S. Martin, G.I. Quimby and D.Collier, Indians Before Columbus (1947), p. 316

[3]: Illinois State Museum, Late Prehistoric, Technology: Weapons (2000), http://www.museum.state.il.us/muslink/nat_amer/pre/htmls/lp_weapons.html


359 Himyar I present Confident Expert -
Slings. [1]

[1]: (Syvanne 2015, 134) Ilkka Syvanne. 2015. Military History of Late Rome 284-361. Pen and Sword. Barnsley.


360 Yemen - Late Bronze Age absent Inferred Expert -
These do not appear to be included in depictions of "warriors" in North Yemeni rock-art from the Late Neolithic and Bronze Age, as reproduced in Jung (1991). [1] However, Jung himself does not state these were not in use, nor does he remark on their absence in said depictions.

[1]: (Jung 1991) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/JP9KX5BK.


361 Neolithic Yemen absent Inferred Expert -
These do not appear to be included in depictions of "warriors" in North Yemeni rock-art from the Late Neolithic and Bronze Age, as reproduced in Jung (1991). [1] However, Jung himself does not state these were not in use, nor does he remark on their absence in said depictions.

[1]: (Jung 1991) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/JP9KX5BK.


362 Rasulid Dynasty present Inferred Expert -
Code inferred from Ayyubid Sultanate [1] which occupied Yemen between 1175-1128 CE.

[1]: Nicolle, D. 2011. Saladin. Osprey Publishing.


363 Yemen - Tahirid Dynasty present Confident Expert -
The others (these are presumably the Tihamah tribesmen)... They all also generally carry a sling for the purpose of throwing stones wound around their heads, and under this sling they carry a piece of wood, a span in length which is called mesuech [Ar.miswajc] with which they clean their teeth and generally from forty or fifty downwards they wear two horns made of their own hair, so that they look like young kids.^ [1]

[1]: Porter, Venetia Ann (1992) The history and monuments of the Tahirid dynasty of the Yemen 858-923/1454-1517, Durham theses, Durham University, pp. 111-113, Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/5867/


364 Yemen - Era of Warlords unknown Suspected Expert -
Code inferred from Abbasid Caliphate [1] which occupied Yemen between 751-868 CE.

[1]: Hugh N Kennedy. 2001. The Armies of the Caliphs: Military and Society in the Early Islamic State. Routledge. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/SGPPFNAZ/q/kennedy


365 Ghur Principality unknown Suspected Expert -
-
366 Yemen Ziyad Dynasty unknown Suspected Expert -
Code inferred from Abbasid Caliphate [1] which occupied Yemen between 751-868 CE.

[1]: Hugh N Kennedy. 2001. The Armies of the Caliphs: Military and Society in the Early Islamic State. Routledge. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/SGPPFNAZ/q/kennedy


367 Kidarite Kingdom present Confident Expert -
-
368 Tocharians unknown Suspected Expert -
-