A History of Projectile Machines

Projectile machines have been used by humans for over two thousand years.  The way wars were fought changed drastically once projectile machines were invented.  Many different projectile machines shaped the way wars were fought such as the crossbow, slings, onagers, mangonels, trebuchets, ballistae and the catapult. 

            The projectile humans would have used were rocks.  Throwing rocks was a simple way to fight, but they couldn’t be thrown very far, limiting their usefulness.  The sling was invented to remove these limitations.  While not really a projectile machine, I thought it would be appropriate to include the sling.   Slings were invented thousands of years ago, and are even mentioned in the bible.  They were usually made from flax, hemp or wool.  In the centre, a cradle or pouch was made to hold the projectile.  To fire the sling, you would swing it as if you were making an overhand throw.  It could be used not only in combat, but for hunting as well.

            The next projectile machine that came along was the crossbow, which dates back as long ago as 400BC.  The earliest reference of the crossbow is from the Chinese.  The crossbow is basically a bow mounted on a stick.  A trigger system is used to shoot the bolt, which is the ammunition used.  The crossbow was an improvement over the regular bow because a much greater draw force could be released, letting the crossbow shoot farther and be more deadly on impact.  Also, crossbows can be kept cocked, and ready to shoot, allowing better aim.

            One of the first real projectile machines was the catapult.  It was invented sometime around 399 BC in the city of Syracuse.  The catapult most of us know today is that of the middle ages.  During these times, fortified cities were common.  The only way to efficiently breach the walls of a city was to destroy them.  Catapults work by storing tension in either the ropes or wood, depending on what you are using.  The tension is then released, launching objects hundreds of meters.  Catapults could not only be used for launching boulders or large rocks at castles or walls, but they could also be used as a sort of biological warfare.  Decomposed carcasses, garbage and excrement were all shot over the walls of castles or kingdoms, in hope of spreading disease and fear.  Catapults were not very mobile, because of their size and huge weight.  Eventually, wheels were put on some, which made them a bit easier to move. Since the first catapult was invented, many other variations have been produced from it, such as the mangonel, onager, ballista and the trebuchet.