Ballista



Introduction:

The Ballista is an ancient missile weapon used by many different groups. It was first created around 400 BCE for Dionysius of Syracuse. It was first used by the Greeks. It was not until Philip II of Macedonia and even more so Alexander the Great that the Ballista begin to be recognized as both a siege weapon and as heavy artillery. It is widely believed that since it delivered lighter munitions that the ballista was most likely used as an anti-personnel weapon. Its could fire both spherical and shaft projectiles and later a movable joint was added in so that it could swivel while in battle.

Technical Stuff:

The Ballista is similar in principle to the crossbow, but much larger. Like the torsion powered mangonel catapault, it used a twisted rope as an energy source. In the ballista, the bow string would be winched back and the tension would be set. It would be used to launch darts, bolts, and spears with deadly force and accuracy. It could also launch stone projectiles of various sources.



http://www.real-world-physics-problems.com/catapult-physics.html

Connor Furtado 23:19, September 12, 2013 (UTC)