sling

weapon

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Article History

Related Topics:: slingshot; delivery system

See all related content

sling, implement for propelling missiles, one of the first missile weapons used in warfare. It consisted of a small strap or socket of leather to which two cords were attached. The warrior, or slinger, held the ends of the cords in one hand, placed the missile snugly in the strap, and whirled the socket and missile rapidly around his head; by letting go of one cord at the right moment, the slinger could let the missile fly out of the socket at a high speed. In another type, the sling was attached to a short staff that was held in both hands; it was used for heavier missiles, especially in siege operations during the European Middle Ages.

There are many references to slings and slingers in the Bible; the left-handed slingers of Benjamin were famous (Judges 20:16), and the young David slew Goliath with a sling (1 Samuel 17). Assyrian monuments show slings, which were also used by the Egyptian army after the 8th century bc. The Greek historian Herodotus (5th century bc) spoke of the slingers in the army offered by Gelon to serve against the Persians. Other ancient Greek writers indicated that the sling was primarily a weapon of barbarian troops, though the Achaeans are credited with having invented a sling that discharged a bolt with an iron head. In the Roman army of the time of the Punic Wars (3rd–2nd century bc), the slingers were auxiliaries from Greece, Syria, and Africa. The Balearic islanders who constituted a part of Hannibal’s Carthaginian army fighting the Romans were renowned as slingers.

In medieval times the sling was much-used by Frankish armies, especially in defending trenches, while the staff sling was used against fortifications in the 14th century. Until the 17th century the sling was used to throw grenades. A variation of the ancient hand weapon is the slingshot, a forked stick with an elastic band attached for hurling small pellets.