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If I read this post correctly, Longinus was originally from Bulgaria and was stationed in Britain. The distance between these two places is about 1740 miles (2800 km). This is farther than the distance between Montreal, Canada and Miami, Florida: It is amazing the great distances traveled with relative ease within the Roman Empire. The efficient and reliable road system in the Empire would have facilitated movement over long distances. As mentioned before in previous threads, this extensive road system would have facilitated the movement and spread of many things: troops (both to defend and attack the Empire), ideas (such as Christianity), diverse goods and commodities, as well as disease (including the many plagues that devastated the Empire). Obviously, an extensive transportation system and a common language (either Latin or Greek) would have been some of the keys to the Empire’s success and longevity.

In fact the Romans used a hand cranked version of a ballista able to repeatedly fire (though I imagine that device was on the smaller side) during the invasion of Britannia. It was discarded quite quickly because using five or six bolts on a target that was killed by the first seemed wasteful.

That is a horrifying thought, indeed. (Scene from the movie “Gladiator” during the battle in Germania.) Did you make a video of the test shots?