We usually think of a catapult as something that was used in the Middle Ages to destroy castle walls. But catapults have a very long history dating back long before the time of castles and were developed and designed in many different ways by many different cultures over the centuries.
What is a catapult?
The general definition is that a catapult is a machine that stores energy and then quickly releases it to fire a projectile. To be a “real” catapult, the machine usually has to be too large for one person to carry. If we only used energy storage and release to define a catapult, then a longbow would also fit this definition. So the size of the machine is important.
How were catapults developed?
Catapults are a branch of the crossbow. Over time, crossbows became larger and larger. They went from being a sidearm to something called Belly-Bows, which were so big they had to be held against a knight’s belly. From there they got even bigger and became something called support leaf springs where they were mounted on brackets. Eventually, they got big enough to be defined as something in their own right and no longer crossbows. This size change also caused changes in the way they operated.
When did the first catapults appear and where? The earliest writings on catapults were that they originated in China around the 3rd and 4th century BCE. C. and this type of early catapult was very similar to a large crossbow. They stood around 8 feet tall. True, these are catapults, but what makes a catapult the machine we generally think of as the real thing is the development of the swinging arm. This is the arm that holds the bucket and the projectile.
Catapult Variations
The term “catapult” is used to define a very wide variety of large projectile-launching machines and some of the more common variations include the catapult, which is a catapult that uses gravity and a seesaw effect to launch its projectile. Another variation is the crossbow, which is similar to a crossbow and uses twisted skeins of material to create torque as a way to store energy for release.
The end of the catapults
With the invention and use of gunpowder and the subsequent creation of artillery, the catapult became obsolete as the weapon of choice for warfare around the 14th century.
Catapults have a long history and have changed drastically over many centuries. The true catapult that we think of today as a siege engine saw only limited use in the Middle Ages. Just as it was gaining its power as a machine of destruction, gunpowder and artillery quickly replaced it as the weapon of choice.