Meanwhile, over at Ebay, one has the unique opportunity to purchase a Roman siege catapult or ballista. To quote:- The ballista weighs approx 12 tons so postage or even buyer collection is not an option. Fully built, it is approx 7.5 metres tall and 8.5 metres long.
Originally, this cost over £120,000 to build – so we are only looking for serious bidders.
Our reserve price of £25,000 includes the cost of essential repairs to bring it back to a condition where it could be displayed, and includes delivery to any mainland UK destination.
Please note: if erecting is required at the buyer’s site, it will cost an additional £17,500 to the purchase price. It is essential that the site has adequate space for the crane and space for setting up. This will not fit in your average garden!!
Why would you want one?
- The ballista could be an excellent and unique tourist attraction for a wide range of public venues.
- It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own a unique recreation of a Roman war machine.
- If you have aspirations to overthrow a neighbour’s castle, the ballista isn’t ideal, as even though it is potentially capable of throwing a stone ball over 100 yards, it is now not in firing condition. (Please note that even if it were, you would need a team of several skilled operators in order to do this, and these are very hard to find today. You may also find that advances in weaponry since this was designed place you at a considerable disadvantage on the modern battlefield.)
A less expension version (here).
