By Betsy Rhame, ’01

A trebuchet is a medieval war machine used for catapulting objects toward an enemy. To Brent Pitts, professor of foreign languages and the coordinator of medieval and renaissance studies, a trebuchet is also a history lesson, a physics project, an experiment and a use for ripened, oversized fruits and vegetables.

Pitts is working with a team to build one at Meredith, and the machine has already earned the nickname of “Big Bertha.” The team has been working to put the machine together all semester. The final work party is scheduled for Saturday, March 17 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the barn, when final preparations will take place.

Students in Pitts’ Pilgrims, Poets and Prophets course learn about the use of trebuchets during the fourth Crusade in the siege of Constantinople, and their use during Roman times.

“The Romans were among the first to use [a trebuchet] and among the first to perfect them,” Pitts said. “They were used extensively in the Middle Ages. They were used for hundreds of years.”

Today trebuchets can be seen in movies, or at the Medieval Renaissance event scheduled for Sunday, March 25 at 4 p.m. at Meredith when Big Bertha will be launched for the first time. Possible projectiles include pumpkins and watermelons.

Pitts is hoping for student participation at the remaining work days and good student and community turnout on the day of the launch.

“Once students see this or know it exists on campus they will invite people they know to campus to see it,” he said. “If we can just get the students there and learning, it’s all worthwhile. It has great potential for being a great people pleaser.”

Pitts is hopeful the launch event will be an educational experience for all.

“This is probably the best chance I’m going to have to recreate medieval and ancient technology and see it work and see why it works,” Pitts said. “We can see what it was for people who long ago used it.”

Pitts said he’s looking forward to “the visual excitement of being so close but out of harm’s way [and] to see the force with which the trebuchet throws an object.”

The Medieval Renaissance event will include a hawk and falcon demonstration at 3 p.m. and "Big Bertha's" launch at 4 p.m. The falcon demonstration will take place near the driving range and the trebuchet launch will be in the southeast corner of campus, near the Faircloth Street greenway entrance.

For more information or to get involved, contact Pitts at (919) 760-8335 or pittsb@meredith.edu.

Click here to watch a test-fire of the trebuchet:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0H_yPbuwKVg