🟡 SUPERHUMAN SIGHT “Keenness of sight has achieved instances transcending belief in the highest degree. Cicero records that a parchment copy of Homer's poem The Iliad was enclosed in a nutshell. He also records a case of a man who could see 123 miles. Marcus Varro also gives this man's name, which was Strabo, and states that in the Punic wars he was in the habit of telling from the promontory of Lilybaion in Sicily the actual number of ships in a fleet that was passing out from the harbour of Carthage. Callicrates used to make such small ivory models of ants and other creatures that to anybody else their parts were invisible. A certain Myrmecides won fame in the same department by making a four-horse chariot of the same material that a fly's wings would cover, and a ship that a tiny bee could conceal with its wings.” Pliny the Elder

God is good

🟤 THE BALLISTA The Roman ballista was a powerful ancient siege weapon, essentially a giant crossbow. It utilized torsion, generated by twisting ropes or sinew, to launch large projectiles such as bolts, stones, and even burning materials. These weapons varied in size, from smaller, more mobile versions to massive siege engines. The principle of operation involved winding twisted ropes or sinew around a central spindle, storing energy. When triggered, the tension in these ropes was released, propelling the projectile with immense force. The ballista was renowned for its accuracy for its time, allowing for precise targeting of enemy troops or fortifications.