The introduction of crossbows however, can be dated further back: according to the inventor Hero of Alexandria (fl. Diodorus is assumed to have drawn his description from the highly rated history of Philistus, a contemporary of the events then. The weapon was soon after employed against Motya (397 BC), a key Carthaginian stronghold in Sicily. 1st century BC), described the invention of a mechanical arrow-firing catapult ( katapeltikon) by a Greek task force in 399 BC. Primitive catapults were essentially "the product of relatively straightforward attempts to increase the range and penetrating power of missiles by strengthening the bow which propelled them".
The catapult and crossbow in Greece are closely intertwined.
Roman "catapult-nest" in the Trajan's Dacian Wars Greek catapults were invented in the early 4th century BC, being attested by Diodorus Siculus as part of the equipment of a Greek army in 399 BC, and subsequently used at the siege of Motya in 397 BC.
Early uses were also attributed to Ajatashatru of Magadha in his, 5th century BC, war against the Licchavis. In the 5th century BC the mangonel appeared in ancient China, a type of traction trebuchet and catapult. The earliest catapults date to at least the 7th century BC, with King Uzziah, of Judah, recorded as equipping the walls of Jerusalem with machines that shot great stones. In modern times the term can apply to devices ranging from a simple hand-held implement (also called a " slingshot") to a mechanism for launching aircraft from a ship. In use since ancient times, the catapult has proven to be one of the most persistently effective mechanisms in warfare. Most convert tension or torsion energy that was more slowly and manually built up within the device before release, via springs, bows, twisted rope, elastic, or any of numerous other materials and mechanisms. A catapult uses the sudden release of stored potential energy to propel its payload. Archers were poor men, and it's possible they couldn't afford horses to help them keep up with Harold's rapid move to the battlefield.Basic diagram of an Onager, a type of catapultĪ catapult is a ballistic device used to launch a projectile a great distance without the aid of gunpowder or other propellants – particularly various types of ancient and medieval siege engines. Only one Anglo-Saxon archer is shown in the Tapestry, symbolising that Harold's army included very few bowmen. Crossbows, a relatively new kind of weapon in 1066, shot much more slowly than ordinary bows, but their 'bolts' could penetrate right through shields. Though none are shown in the Tapestry, the Norman army also included crossbowmen. Some are shown carrying their arrows in 'quivers' attached to their belts, while others take theirs from bigger quivers placed on the ground. They played an important part in the battle, especially after William ordered them to shoot high, firing their arrows onto the heads of the Saxons behind their shield-wall.Īrchers needed to move quickly, so they were lightly clothed and sometimes barefoot and bare-legged. Many Norman archers are shown in the Bayeux Tapestry, and it's estimated that there were over 1,000 of them in William's army.
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