Ancient Weapons That Were Way Too Overpowered

A rock, a pointy stick, and a fire so secret that nobody alive can make it today. We rank the 8 deadliest weapons of the ancient world on three things: how many people they killed, how far away they could get you, and how scared the people facing them were. A sling stone that leaves at over 100 miles an hour. An ambush planned around one tree. A wall of 6-metre pikes. Elephants that trampled their own army. Javelins that ruined shields. The bow that destroyed Crassus at Carrhae. The short sword that built the Roman Empire. And a fire that burned on water. Do you agree with the ranking? Tell us your #1 in the comments. Sources Plutarch, Life of Crassus; Life of Aemilius Paullus Polybius, Histories, Book 18 Livy, History of Rome, Books 27 and 31 Julius Caesar, The Gallic War, Book 1 Vegetius, De re militari, Book 1 Pliny the Elder, Natural History, Book 8 Diodorus Siculus, Library of History, Book 5 Sima Qian, Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji), biography of Sun Bin Theophanes the Confessor, Chronicle Constantine VII, De Administrando Imperio John Reid, Burnswark Hill excavations (Roman lead sling bullets) Qinjiazui Tomb 47, Hubei (repeating crossbow) Music by Scott Buckley: 'Emergent' by Scott Buckley – released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au 'High Games' by Scott Buckley – released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au 'Three Sheets to the Wind' by Scott Buckley – released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au 'Ride The Wind' by Scott Buckley – released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au 'Anabasis I' by Scott Buckley – released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au 'Tomorrow' by Scott Buckley – released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au 'Legionnaire' by Scott Buckley – released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au 'Juggernaut' by Scott Buckley – released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au 'March of Midnight' by Scott Buckley – released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au 'Hunted' by Scott Buckley – released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au 'Descent' by Scott Buckley – released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au 'Crusader' by Scott Buckley – released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au 'Victor Lux' by Scott Buckley – released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au 'Uprising' by Scott Buckley – released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au 'Sanctuary' by Scott Buckley – released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au #AncientHistory #History #AncientWeapons