The ''harpax'' or ''harpago'' or ''harpaga'' ( ''lit.'' "grabber, seizer, robber"; GEN ''harpagos'') was a grappling-iron. Its name, derived from the Greek verb harpazo (ἁρπάζω), meaning "to seize" or "to snatch". It was a versatile tool used in both domestic and military contexts in ancient Greece and Rome.A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities (1890), Harpago
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Domestic Use

In domestic life, the harpago was most commonly used as a flesh-hook or grappling-iron. This instrument was particularly useful in the kitchen, where it was employed to remove boiled meat from a

cauldron A cauldron (or caldron) is a large cookware and bakeware, pot (kettle) for cooking or boiling over an open fire, with a lid and frequently with an arc-shaped hanger and/or integral handles or feet. There is a rich history of cauldron lore in r ...

. Described as resembling a hand with fingers bent inward, the harpago allowed cooks to easily lift large pieces of meat from the pot. According to the Scholiast on Aristophanes, it was “an instrument used in cookery.” Greeks also called it λύκος (meaning wolf), κρεάγρα and κρεαγρίς (both meaning "flesh-hook" or "meat hook). A similar instrument, or even the hook itself, was used to draw up a bucket or recover objects that had fallen into a well.

Warfare

In warfare, the harpago took on a much larger and more formidable form and was said to have been invented by

Pericles Pericles (; ; –429 BC) was a Greek statesman and general during the Golden Age of Athens. He was prominent and influential in Ancient Athenian politics, particularly between the Greco-Persian Wars and the Peloponnesian War, and was acclaimed ...

. Seems that was similar to the Roman harpagones or manus ferreae. It was used as a grappling iron to capture enemy ships. These were large, iron hooks designed to latch onto the rigging or hull of opposing vessels. Once a harpago secured its hold on an enemy ship, it could be used to drag the ship closer to the attacker’s vessel, allowing for easier boarding or destruction. It used by Duilius against the

Carthaginians The Punic people, usually known as the Carthaginians (and sometimes as Western Phoenicians), were a Semitic people, Semitic people who Phoenician settlement of North Africa, migrated from Phoenicia to the Western Mediterranean during the Iron ...

. It was also used by

Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa (; BC – 12 BC) was a Roman general, statesman and architect who was a close friend, son-in-law and lieutenant to the Roman emperor Augustus. Agrippa is well known for his important military victories, notably the B ...

against

Sextus Pompey Sextus Pompeius Magnus Pius ( 67 – 35 BC), also known in English as Sextus Pompey, was a Roman military leader who, throughout his life, upheld the cause of his father, Pompey the Great, against Julius Caesar and his supporters during the la ...

during the naval battles of the Sicilian revolt. It was deployed at the

Battle of Naulochus The naval Battle of Naulochus was fought on 3 September 36 BC between the fleets of Sextus Pompeius and Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, off Naulochus, Sicily. The victory of Agrippa, admiral of Octavian, marked the end of the Pompeian resistance to t ...

in 36 BC.

Appian Appian of Alexandria (; ; ; ) was a Greek historian with Roman citizenship who prospered during the reigns of the Roman Emperors Trajan, Hadrian, and Antoninus Pius. He was born c. 95 in Alexandria. After holding the senior offices in the pr ...

explains the device was "called the 'grip', a piece of wood, five

cubit The cubit is an ancient unit of length based on the distance from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger. It was primarily associated with the Sumerians, Egyptians, and Israelites. The term ''cubit'' is found in the Bible regarding Noah ...

s long bound with iron and having rings at the extremities. To one of these rings was attached the grip itself, an iron claw, to the other numerous ropes, which drew it by machine power after it had been thrown by a catapult and had seized the enemy's ships." The harpax had a distinct advantage over the traditional naval boarding device, the

corvus ''Corvus'' is a widely distributed genus of passerine birds ranging from medium-sized to large-sized in the family Corvidae. It includes species commonly known as crows, ravens, and rooks. The species commonly encountered in Europe are the car ...

, in that it was much lighter. The corvus boarding bridge is estimated to have weighed a ton. The harpax could be thrown long distances due its light weight. It was discharged by a

ballista The ballista (Latin, from Ancient Greek, Greek βαλλίστρα ''ballistra'' and that from βάλλω ''ballō'', "throw"), plural ballistae or ballistas, sometimes called bolt thrower, was an Classical antiquity, ancient missile weapon tha ...

as if it were a heavy dart. Furthermore, the harpax was composed of iron bands that could not be cut, and the ropes could not be cut due to the length of the iron grapple. Appian notes "As this apparatus had never been known before, the enemy had not provided themselves with scythe-mounted poles." The casualty totals provide a broad picture of the tool's effectiveness: Sextus lost 180 of a total force of 300 warships - 28 by ramming and 155 by capture and by fire.William M. Murray, Philip de Souza, H. T. Wallinga "Ancient Navies" The Oxford Encyclopedia of Maritime History. Ed. John B. Hattendorf. Oxford University Press, 2007.

References

{{Ancient seafaring Navy of ancient Rome Arrow types Naval weapons Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa Roman artillery

Domestic Use

Warfare

See also

References