Many stone cannonballs can be seen throughout the Petra Castellana site. During excavations, archaeologists found several dozen.
Description
All the cannonballs are cut from a local stone, a gray limestone. Their fairly spherical shape but sometimes barrel-shaped often had a flat face facilitating
stacking and storage. The average weight of a cannonball is around 40 kg.
The cannonballs were used against the town of Petra Castellana and are therefore not a reserve of ammunition against an attacker. They were projected from outside the ramparts, probably from a flat area located to the north, approximately 70 m from the fortification and slightly dominating the site. Among the weapons used in the Middle Ages, the breastwork seems to be the most adapted to the place. It is a light machine, allowing rapid and precise shooting. From the archives, we know that the city of Petra Castellana was besieged twice, perhaps three times: in 1189 and in 1262, and possibly in 1368. The last siege got the better of the occupation of the site and the inhabitants who had already started to leave the town settled permanently in the Bourg, the current location of Castellane.
Many balls have been used for reuse in masonry, terrace walls or on paths. Have fun finding them!
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