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catapult
In the Roman-era catapult, an arm bearing a stone was winched down, building up torsion in a bundle of twisted cords. When the torsion was released, the arm swung upward and hurled the stone with great force.
catapult
military weaponry
- Related Topics:
- trebuchet
- ballista
- catapult
- carroballistae
- delivery system
catapult, mechanism for forcefully propelling stones, spears, or other projectiles, in use mainly as a military weapon since ancient times. The ancient Greeks and Romans used a heavy crossbowlike weapon known as a ballista to shoot arrows and darts as well as stones at enemy soldiers. The term catapult too can refer to these weapons, but more often it designates a larger engine that is used to hurl stones from a single long arm swinging through the vertical plane. Nearly all catapults employed in ancient and medieval artillery operated by a sudden release of tension on bent wooden beams or ...(100 of 185 words)