ROBERT E. DOHRENWEND, PH.D
INTRODUCTION
The sling was an important military weapon from the beginnings of organized warfare to the end of the Middle Ages. However, although it is one of the most effective missile weapons ever devised, it is generally neglected by military historians, receiving brief mention only in the most general terms when it
appears at all. Detailed discussion of the sling has been relegated to a specialist literature that is both sparse and not easily available. This is all the more surprising when we consider the enormous literature dealing with the military use of archery. According to the few available studies, the sling out-ranged the bow, was more accurate, and easily as deadly. A sling can throw a lethal projectile almost a quarter of a mile, and in the hands of an expert, it is very accurate at distances up to a least 220 yards. Both the weapon and its ammunition are very inexpensive.