Pompeii's battle scars linked to an ancient 'machine gun'

The ancient city of Pompeii is one of those archaeological sites that keeps on giving with one discovery after another. While much of what we know about the Roman settlement comes from the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79, another ...
Ancient 'machine gun'

In a paper published in the journal Heritage, a team of researchers from Italy claims to have uncovered evidence of highly advanced weaponry used during the Siege of Sulla. Some commentators have likened it to an ancient version of a machine gun.

Pompeii's northern walls show significant signs of battle damage. Over the years, much research has focused on large, circular craters formed by heavy stone balls launched from standard Roman catapults. Scattered between these craters are smaller, four-sided holes arranged in a fan-like shape, often attributed to wear and tear or general battle damage.
The research team had a different explanation. They believed the distinct shapes were possibly caused by a polybolus, a weapon capable of firing multiple projectiles in rapid succession.

Ballistic scars

To test their idea, the researchers produced high-resolution 3D models of the holes using laser scanning and photogrammetry. By analyzing the exact depth, width, and shape of the impacts, the team worked backwards to infer the type of weapon involved and the likely forces behind the strikes. Everything pointed to a high-velocity machine rather than a handheld weapon.

Location of the study area: (A) location of Pompeii within the Italian Peninsula; (B) satellite view of the area (Google Earth Pro 7.3.6.10441); (C) SIT orthoimage of the Pompeii Archaeological Park, with the city walls between the northern gates highlighted; (D) detail of the aerial image showing the wall circuit (Google Maps 2025); (E) view of the extrados of the northern wall towards Tower X (photo by S.B., December 2023). Credit: Heritage (2026). DOI: 10.3390/heritage9030096
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Comparison between a photo from the beginning of the 20th century (on the left, (A) photo by Van Buren, ca. 1925) [8] (Plate 60.1: Marks of the Sullan bombardment, Pompeii) and a current photo (on the right, (B) photo by S.B., September 2024), highlighting some circular ballistic marks. The measuring rod leaning against the wall, visible in the historical photograph (A), can be estimated at approximately 3 m in length based on comparison with the current survey and masonry dimensions, given that the wall height in this section is approximately 4.5 m. Credit: Heritage (2026). DOI: 10.3390/heritage9030096
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Scale comparison of two detailed textured mesh models: on the left, (A) ballistic impact of a spherical stone projectile; on the right, (B) fan-shaped groups of smaller quadrangular impacts. Survey, 3D models, and rendering by S.B. Credit: Heritage (2026). DOI: 10.3390/heritage9030096
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