Catapults: Siege Warfare During The Middle Ages

Catapults have been known to siege warfare even in ancient history. Though history Catapults were one of the most effective weapons in siege warfare. Various types of Catapults have been used by the Greeks, Romans, and Chinese. The first catapults that were ever built were made in the early attempts to increase the range and power of a crossbow. A Greek historian named, Diodorus Siculus, was the first to document the use of a mechanical arrow firing catapult in 399 BC. Catapults as we think of them were introduced to Europe during the Middle Ages. With war prevalent throughout Europe during the Middle Ages the popularity of fortified castle and city wall rose significantly. This made Catapults a necessity for many armies back then. Catapults

The ballista is similar to the crossbow and it uses twisted skeins of material to create torsion as its way of storing energy for release (later it can release in such a way that will create power for the catapult to launch the projectile far). The Greek word "Ballistes" means to throw, which is why this catapult was named a ballista. It was invented by the Greeks and later modified by the Romans. Its appearance was the following: two wooden arms which look similar to a bow laid on its side with the middle section missing, are attached to a piece of rope. This rope was attached to a winch and pulled back, bending the arm back. Another type of catapult used was a mangonel. The Latin word "manganon" means engine of war, which speaks for itself: it was a catapult highly used during the war. The mangonel was invented by Romans in 400 BC and they made it with wheels so that it was easy to build and transport. It has a long wooden arm with a bucket–early models used a sling–with a rope attached to the end. The arm is then pulled back from its natural 90º angle and the energy is stored in the tension of the rope and the arm. The final catapult was designed for maximum force and destruction and was commonly used to throw stones at castle walls. It is called the trebuchet and was created by the Chinese in 500 BC. It was introduced to Europe not long after it was invented. It included a long arm which could have been up to 60 ft long, that was balanced on a fulcrum that was far from the center. The short arm was attached to a counterbalance which was usually a heavy lead weight or a pivoting ballast box filled with earth, sand, or stones. This type of catapult was one of the most feared and hated siege