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The basilisk was a very heavy bronze cannon employed during the Middle Ages. The barrel of a basilisk could weigh up to 4,000 lb (1,800 kg) and could have a calibre of up to 5 inches (13 cm).〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=NPS Interpretive Series: Artillery Through the Ages )〕 On average they were around 10 feet long,〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Medieval Glossary - Basilisk (Cannon) )〕 though some, like Queen Elizabeth's Pocket Pistol, were almost three times that length. The basilisk got its name from the mythological basilisk: a fire-breathing venomous serpent that could cause large-scale destruction and kill its victims with its glance alone.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Medieval Bestiary : Basilisk )〕 It was thought that the very sight of its 160 lb shot would be enough to scare the enemy to death.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=History of the Scots Greys )〕 In 1588 the Spanish Armada was equipped with many basilisks for their invasion of England with the intent of using them to besiege towns loyal to Elizabeth I. Many of these guns were lost when the ships were wrecked on their return to Spain. Due to its large size, the basilisk fell out of favour of European generals, who preferred lighter, more accurate artillery in the late 16th century.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=basilisk | weapon | Britannica.com )〕 A late example is the Maltese Gun, built in Holland in 1607 and, like many of its contemporaries, fitted with a replacement carriage during the Napoleonic Wars.〔http://collections.royalarmouries.org/index.php?a=subjects&s=item&key=SYToyOntpOjA7aToyODc7aToxO3M6ODoiQmFzaWxpc2siO30=&pg=1〕 == Further reading == *(''Artillery through the ages'' ) 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Basilisk (cannon)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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