当然 普通投石的穿透性自然不如弓箭 但是在面对着甲目标时 钝击伤害的石块表现的比弓弩更好 Vegetius，四世纪的罗马作家写道： Soldiers, despite their defensive armor, are often more aggravated by the round stones from the sling than by all the arrows of the enemy. Stones kill without mangling the body, and the contusion is mortal without loss of blood. 面对片甲 锁甲之类的软甲，钝击伤害能不见血地剥夺敌人的性命
投石索与弓弩的优劣对比 优势： 1弹药便宜 2发射速度快（ A good slinger could fire more than twelve rounds a minute. ） 3对士兵力量要求不高 4对体力消耗小 5可装备盾牌
除了罗德岛投石手 巴利阿里投石兵也是当时各国竞相雇佣的远程力量 Strabo罗马历史学家如此记载他们: ...their training in the use of slings used to be such, from childhood up, that [parents] would not so much as give bread to their children unless they first hit it with the sling. 父母将不会给予他们的孩子哪怕是一块面包，直到孩子击中这块面包为止
狄奥多鲁斯描述第三次希墨拉战役的片段 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- But when Hamilcar saw that his men were being overpowered and that the Greeks in constantly increasing numbers were making their way into the camp,he brought up his slingers, who came from the Baliaric Islands and numbered at least a thousand. By hurling a shower of great stones, they wounded many and even killed not a few of those who were attacking, and they shattered the defensive armour of most of them. For these men, who are accustomed to sling stones weighing a mina,contribute a great deal toward victory in battle, since from childhood they practise constantly with the sling. In this way they drove the Greeks from the camp and defeated them. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 一千多巴里阿里投石手发飙,打退了进攻迦太基营地的叙拉古军队,希腊军队的铠甲 (亚麻甲)无法抵挡投石手丢出的石弹(石弹一明那,四百多克)
李维的罗马史如此描述投石手 A hundred slingers were recruited from Aegium and Patrae and Dymae. These peoples were trained from boyhood [...] Having been trained to shoot through rings of moderate circumference from long distances, they would wound not merely the heads of their enemies but any part of the face at which they might have aimed. 想打你左脸就不打你右脸
39BC,帕提亚骑射手被海量投石手所压制，而铁甲骑兵也无法击败在高地上展开的 11个军团。 Battle of Mount Gindarus： When the Parthians got to the town, which sat on a small hill, they encountered Roman legions confidently formed in battle order on the slopes. The Parthians rushed to attack - whether this order came from Pacorus or was a spontaneous charge is unknown. In any case, Ventidius ordered his troops, who had the advantage of high ground, to attack the horse-archers advancing up the slope. The horse-archers were forced into close-quartered combat against the legionaries and suffered heavily for it, for they were unsuited for such combat. The Parthian cavalry's will eventually broke and panic spread, many of the horse archers being driven down the slope where they crashed into their fellows in their desperation to escape. The horse-archers eventually fled or fell. Parthian heavy cavalry, which was stationed at the bottom of the hill, was enveloped and surrounded by the legionaries. Instead of immediately attacking with the legionaries, Ventidius made use of his slingers to rain down projectiles on the Parthian heavy cavalry, which included Pacorus himself. After the barrage was lifted the legionaries moved in and were quickly able to identify Pacorus because of his standard and expensive armour. Pacorus was eventually slain along with his bodyguards, and the remaining cavalry broke and attempted to flee from their entrapment, which not all managed to do. Overall the Roman army had achieved a complete victory.[3] 罗马方用投石手打击帕提亚重骑兵。
