| We typically think of a catapult as something that | | | | originated in China around the 3rd and 4th |
| was used in the Middle Ages to destroy the walls | | | | Century BC and this type of early catapult was |
| of a castle. But catapults have a very long history | | | | much like a big crossbow. They stood around 8 |
| dating long before the time of castles and they | | | | feet tall. True that these are catapults but the |
| were developed and designed in many different | | | | thing that makes a catapult into the machine we |
| ways by many different cultures over the | | | | generally consider to be authentic is the |
| centuries. | | | | development of the swinging arm. This is the arm |
| What is a catapult? | | | | that holds the bucket and projectile. |
| The general definition is that a catapult is a | | | | Variations of Catapults |
| machine that stores energy then quickly releases | | | | The term "catapult" is used to define a very wide |
| this energy to fire a projectile. To be a "real" | | | | variety of large machines for hurling projectiles |
| catapult the machine generally has to be too large | | | | and some of the more common variations include |
| for a person to carry. If we just used the | | | | the trebuchet, which is a catapult that uses |
| storage and release of energy to define a | | | | gravity and a seesaw effect to hurl its projectile. |
| catapult then a longbow would also fit this | | | | Another variation is the ballista, which is similar to |
| definition. So the size of the machine is important. | | | | a crossbow and uses twisted skeins of material |
| How did catapults develop? | | | | to create torsion as its way of storing energy for |
| Catapults are an offshoot of the Crossbow. Over | | | | release. |
| time crossbows got larger and larger. They went | | | | The End of Catapults |
| from being a hand-held weapon to something | | | | With the invention and use of gunpowder and the |
| called the Belly-Bows which were so large they | | | | subsequent creation of artillery the catapult |
| had to be braced against a knight's belly. From | | | | became obsolete as the weapon of choice for |
| there they got even larger and became | | | | warfare around the fourteenth century. |
| something called stand crossbows where they | | | | Catapults have a long history and changed |
| were mounted on stands. Eventually they got | | | | dramatically over many centuries. The true |
| large enough to be defined as something in their | | | | catapult that we think of today as a siege engine |
| own right and no longer crossbows. This size | | | | only saw limited use in the middle ages. Just as it |
| change also brought about changes in how they | | | | was coming into its power as a machine of |
| operated. | | | | destruction gunpowder and artillery quickly |
| When did the first catapults appear and where? | | | | replaced it as the weapon of choice. |
| The earliest writings of catapults were that they | | | | |