A fascinating firearm!

It's reported that a 15th-century cannon, possibly designed by Leonardo da Vinci, has been found in Croatia.

Archeologists in Croatia have identified what they believe is the world's only triple-barrel cannon inspired by the inventions of Leonardo da Vinci.

The bronze cannon, from the late 15th century, bears a striking resemblance to sketches drawn by the Renaissance inventor, notably in his Codex Atlanticus - the largest collection of his drawings and writing.

Mounted on a wooden carriage and wheels, it would have allowed a much more rapid rate of fire than traditional single-barreled guns - in a precursor to modern day machine guns. Soldiers would have been able to fire three cannon balls instead of one.

It was also lighter and more mobile than most cannon of the time, enabling troops to move it around the battlefield with comparative ease - a precursor to much later artillery.

It was found in the grounds of the 15th century Klicevica fortress, in a part of southern Croatia that had strong trading links with the Venetian Republic and that was on the front line of defence against the invading Ottomon Turks.

"We think it was either made in Venice and brought here, or it may have been made locally," said Marin Curkovic, the director of a museum in the nearby town of Benkovac, where the cannon went on display this week as the centre-piece of a new exhibition.

"We cannot say with 100 per cent certainty that it was built to Leonardo da Vinci's designs but the resemblance to his sketches is remarkable. We think there is a very high probability that it was manufactured to his designs."

The weapon almost exactly matches a model of da Vinci's triple-barrelled cannon design, which is on display in the Leonardo da Vinci Museum of Science and Technology in Milan.

The cannon may not have been an enormous success - the lower part of the barrels has been blown away, suggesting it may have jammed and exploded, probably killing or seriously injuring whoever was operating it.

There's more at the link.

I've read a great deal about Leonardo da Vinci's experiments with military machines, and greatly enjoyed a novel based on them, 'The Medici Guns', published in the 1970's. It's fascinating to think that some of his ideas actually made it into production. I wonder what this cannon could tell us, if it could talk?

Peter