"Alexander catapulted over the wall?" Topic

So many years ago I studied Alexander the great at university. Mainly from Fragments written by Plutach if memory serves. I'm sure I remember some battle early on in the Persian Campaign against Darius where Alexander and some of his mates were catapulted over a city's walls to open the gates and allow the Macedonian's in. But I cant find any reference to this on the internet. Did I imagine it ? Had I drunk too much beer the night before ?(that is quite possible in either case). Does anyone know what City ? Or what the reference was ? – Or have I just made it up with an over active imagination ? (It does sound too silly to be true but then so does the Gordian knot story – one of my fav's)

I believe Mythbusters(?) addressed this idea. The answer was that the G-forces from being thrown, were so severe, that a Human Being could not survive the launch, regardless of the landing…

Based on my readings of the infamous Hurt Study, a scientific investigation into motorcycle crashes, and the effectiveness of helmets and impact G-forces encountered during crashes (when riders impact a wall, or other immovable object: 60-0, instantaneous stop), this is extremely believable. I suspect the catapult launch would inflict similar G-forces to the brain, which is described as warm Jello, for consistency. This can crush the brain within the skull, as well as tear its blood vessels from it. Perchance others will weigh in with better information? Cheers!

I read most of the "primary" translated sources on Alexander, and quite a few of the more modern hero worshipping ones like Tarn and Lane Fox.
I never came across anything remotely like that.

They did it in 'The Adventures of Captain Marvel'…not sure about Alexander.

Still, I guess when he was drunk, he would have been up for anything.

Myth busters probably forgot to take into account that Alexander was part God, so what do they know they probably did think Achilles was near invincible either. The question was really, is this a known story, or something I just made up, or maybe the lecturer mention some little known source or something. It wasn't in the Kirk Douglas film for a start…

The maneuver can't be that hard to pull off. I watched Kevin Costner do it successfully in Robin Hood. And he wasn't even Robin Hood "The Great". QED.

Looks like it was just me then.

Fetchez le Roi!

There's an entire genre of Alexander wonder stories -- he's supposed to have gone to the bottom of the ocean in a diving bell as well. I always liken it to the stories about Elvis Presley sightings after his death.

william shatner .. I rest my case …

I called my son Alexander. His second name is Frederick. My wife drew the line at Napoleon for his third. 'nough said.

Catapult over the wall? Here, hold my wine! – Alexander

If it was true, the History Channel would have told us.

Well, he did have vaulting ambition…..

If memory serves, the biographies of Alexander written in the generation after his death are all lost. All the bio info we have is from books based on those first books, so you know how that goes.

If memory serves further, he and his dudes went up a ladder. As far as we know.

Catapults would not only kill you during launch as well as during the landing, they aren't that precise. You could get thrown against the side of a wall, through a roof, etc. No one watching a catapult bombard a fort is going to seriously consider riding in one. And ultimately, even if someone decided it was a good idea, would you not try it on a slave/convict first? Of course you would. And that would be the end of that.

It was probably a trebuchet, rather than a catapult.

Very doubtful that it was a trebuchet in the 4th century BC.

Would you believe two large men holding a springboard?

"Catapults…aren't that precise. You could get thrown against the side of a wall, through a roof, etc."

Just ask Wile E.Coyote…

They don't say how tall the wall was…

(Alexander nimbly leaps over a wall 2 bricks high)

His army 'oohs' & 'ahs' at the feat, and a legend is born…

;-)

Stories about demi-gods ( which Alexander claimed to be ) often cross the boundary between reality and fantasy . The catapult story is therefore easily explainable .

Stories like this usually develop atter the principle's death when the stories about them become widely spread and more fantastic as the original participants die off we do it ourselves so just citing the examples of Washington cutting down the cherry tree or Lincoln the rail splitter

so some locals are talking about Alexander at the siege of Tyre, where, in reality, his army used a number of large war machines to overcome formidable defenses, including large catapult.

So the story starts off about the god Alexander building these large machines to overcome the walls.As the story spreads the technical details are soon forgotten but the story is now how Alexander used a fantastic machine to leap over the walls and a myth is born.