Talk:Onager (weapon)

More info needed
more info needed


 * Can someone blend this with mangonel? These are the same thing! tofor


 * An onager did not fire at the same angle as a mangonel, a mangonel fired at an angle so the projectiles could clear walls, whereas an onager fired straight forward.


 * Still, they're similar (at least similar enough that Age of Empires II makes the onager available as an upgrade to the mangonel). I agree with the merge. -- Gray  Porpoise Phocoenidae, not Delphinidae 20:54, 7 October 2006 (UTC)

I don't give a Dodo Bird about age of empires, but a onager and a mangonel are not the same thing!-- Lee Tru.  00:57, 18 April 2013 (UTC)


 * I seriously doubt any torsion, tension or counterweight siege engines were usually used primarily as straight-firing weapons. Even a modern rifle, depending on model, you have to put a bit of angle on (on top of-such chemical-explosion powered weapons' tendency to angle a touch high out of the barrel of its own accord) by the time you reach a range of about 200 meters (simplifying somewhat; I don't think the Barret M82 .50 caliber rifle is particularly useful in discussion here69.200.228.170 (talk) 22:34, 17 November 2015 (UTC)).

But nevermind all that. It's not clear to me from the description here that this weapon is any different from the more well-known CATAPULTA of Roman times. This page would be much more useful if it specified the difference between the two, say, offering a drawing of the other, more common, 'engine'. That would be more useful to the reader, no? Also, closely related pages sometimes mistranslate the engine as a being a type of 'artillery', rather than, say, 'siege engine', i.e. as when discussing its use by archimedes. that's more misleading than helpful--just to add69.200.228.170 (talk) 22:15, 17 November 2015 (UTC) 69.200.228.170 (talk) 22:34, 17 November 2015 (UTC)

Creation Date
How about someone mention when onagers were invented? Seems to be a pretty basic piece of information.

Actually, I think I'll mark this a stub. It seems rather short. --Simetrical 01:24, 2 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Nice Picture Available
There is a nice picture available in another Wiki. See. I don't know how to add it to the english article, can anybody help? Gaius Cornelius 18:02, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

It has been done!

Category:Roman siege engines vs. Category:Siege engines
Category:Roman siege engines is itself a category within Category:Siege engines. — Robert Greer (talk) 04:02, 10 December 2008 (UTC)

Ammianus Quote
The quote given from Ammianus Marcellinus is misleading, at best. In the direct latin translation, the great historian does not mention use of Greek Fire in conjunction with the onager (or, indeed, at all throughout his Antiquities). I suggest finding a more accurate translation. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.42.79.152 (talk) 22:14, 20 April 2009 (UTC)

Tension vs Torsion
This article says the onager used tension. I think that's wrong. Tension was used by the mangonel, rather than the onager. The onager used torsional force instead of tension. This article already says that the onager uses torsional force, but later it says tension too. Although I'm not sure, so I'll let someone else change that. - 72.184.128.205 (talk) 19:07, 11 January 2017 (UTC)

Warning
Recent edits on this page have been made by a known vandalizer (Special:Contributions/Sosa97) who has been blocked on multiple other accounts and IPs such as User:198.46.126.2, User:108.35.224.118, User:Nova1Nova1, and User:66hester. The original IP User:198.46.126.2 engaged in edit warring on several wikipages including Trebuchet, Hongyipao, Harpy eagle, and RSM-56 Bulava. On 18 July 2018, we were both blocked for a time for edit warring with the suggestion that we discuss our rationale for the changes made on the Talk page. I have done that for Talk:Hongyipao, explaining my reversions of his edits, but he has not responded. However he has continued with editing on this alternate account in the same pattern as before including removal of cited quotations from peer reviewed monographs without explanation, replacement with inferior and outdated sources such as centuries old texts or a TV series, and alternations to material which then directly contradict existing sources referenced as well as the sources he removed. Ping to users who have been involved with this user at some point or another:            Qiushufang (talk) 01:00, 27 July 2018 (UTC)


 * Not this again. We strongly need standard semi-protection on this article, without pending changes. Nosebagbear (talk)

Onager
Onager was a small catapult used for firing rocks up to 70 kg. It helped the romans win many wars — Preceding unsigned comment added by 223.229.240.196 (talk) 07:39, 10 April 2020 (UTC)

Torsion Structure
The lead diagram of this article has the throwing arm connected to a "spring" high up the structure. The old picture below it appears to be different and correct with no rope ahead of the throwing arm.

The power of these weapons comes from the lower end of the throwing arm being in a bunch of rope or leather rings put in tension by the bunched rings being twisted as the throwing arm is pulled back.

The power is from the rings being in tension, but not by simply pulling them. I think the link below might lead to a photo of a modern version. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/24/Onager_catapult_-_Felsenburg_Neurathen_-_Bastei_%28Sachsen%29_-_Germany_-_26_June_2011.jpg 86.140.60.9 (talk) 14:49, 12 December 2022 (UTC)


 * I came to say the same thing. What the first diagram in this article depicts is not an onager.
 * 24.17.40.164 (talk) 24.17.40.164 (talk) 22:35, 20 May 2023 (UTC)