How did catapults develop?
Catapults are an offshoot of the Crossbow. Over time crossbows got larger and larger. They went from being a hand-held weapon to something called the Belly-Bows which were so large they had to be braced against a knight’s belly. From there they got even larger and became something called stand crossbows where they were mounted on stands. Eventually they got large enough to be defined as something in their own right and no longer crossbows. This size change also brought about changes in how they operated. When did the first catapults appear and where? The earliest writings of catapults were that they originated in China around the 3rd and 4th Century BC and this type of early catapult was much like a big crossbow. They stood around 8 feet tall. True that these are catapults but the thing that makes a catapult into the machine we generally consider to be authentic is the development of the swinging arm. This is the arm that holds the bucket and projectile. Variations of Catapults The ter
