Manuballista

[Longovicium]

Just noticed someone on the internet rebuilt the hunting crossbow depicted on those two reliefs from central Gaul: http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index...ic=40448.0

I have that version now and despite some gross inaccuracies am adapting it to better represent the period. Fun project!

[Eleatic Guest]

What I am asking myself is why there have not been yet any clear finds of the nut mechanism of ancient crossbows. These must have been made of hard material, like antler or even metal. Although crossbows must have been much more numerous as hunting weapons or infantry weapons than catapults, we have found only catapult parts so far. This strikes me as odd.

[CaesarAugustus]

I would not call them "ancient crossbows". They were ballista, working with a different mechanism, the torsion. The crossbows was known (it is not much different from a bow, concerning the engine), but the torsion was considered more effective. Anyway we have some findings related catapults/ballista. For what I remember a metal components of the Ampurias Catapult (found in 1912 in the Neapolis of Ampurias). But there are severl findings concerning the metal part of that ballistae.