Evidence from Pompeii Reveals Roman ‘Automatic’ Weapon Used More Than 2,000 Years Ago

2,100 years ago, famed Roman general and one-time dictator Lucius Cornelius Sulla laid siege to a rebellious Pompeii during a lesser-known conflict called the Social War. On the day, Sulla brought along a special form of artillery. The contraption could fire multiple projectiles without needing either to reload or reengage the firing mechanism; in order