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— CH. 1 · ANCIENT ORIGINS AND INVENTION —

Catapult

~5 min read · Ch. 1 of 6
6 sections

  • King Uzziah of Judah equipped the walls of Jerusalem with machines that shot great stones during the 7th century BC. This early use predates many other recorded instances of projectile-throwing devices in history. The Yajurveda, a sacred Hindu text from India, mentions catapults under the name Jyah in chapter 30 verse 7. These ancient references suggest that the concept existed across multiple civilizations simultaneously. Ajatashatru of Magadha used similar weapons against the Licchavis in the 5th century BC according to Jaina texts. Chinese sources describe mangonels appearing between the 5th and 3rd centuries B.C.E., later reaching the Mediterranean by the 6th century C.E. Mohist writings from the 4th century BC detail hollowed logs filled with burning charcoal hurled at enemy troops. The earliest documented catapults date back to at least the 7th century BC, marking a significant shift in warfare technology.

  • Diodorus Siculus described the invention of a mechanical arrow-firing catapult by a Greek task force in 399 BC. This weapon was soon employed against Motya, a key Carthaginian stronghold in Sicily, in 397 BC. Hero of Alexandria referenced lost works by engineer Ctesibius regarding the gastraphetes or belly-bow. Biton, writing around the 2nd century BC, credited Zopyros, an engineer from southern Italy, with designing advanced forms of these machines. Zopyrus likely designed his bow-machines during sieges of Cumae and Milet between 421 BC and 401 BC. Philo of Byzantium established a theory of belopoietics circa 200 BC stating that all parts of a catapult were proportional to torsion springs. An Athenian inventory dated between 338 and 326 BC lists stored catapults with varying spring sizes. Philip II of Macedonia spurred engineers toward adopting torsion springs over flexible crossbows. Children on Ceos island participated in catapult shooting competitions regulated by a 3rd Century B.C. inscription.

  • Romans began using catapults as arms for wars against Syracuse, Macedon, Sparta, and Aetolia during the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC. The arcuballista machine resembled a large crossbow used extensively by Roman forces. Ballistae were designed to work through torsion, firing large arrows or darts along flat trajectories. These weapons lacked firepower compared to mangonels but offered greater accuracy. Most ballistae were constructed on site following siege assessments by commanding officers. Romans later employed ballista catapults on their warships for naval engagements. Evidence shows Greek fortifications featured high towers with shuttered windows housing anti-personnel arrow shooters. Onomarchus of Phocis first used catapults on battlefields against Philip II of Macedon. Alexander the Great made recorded use of these machines at the Battle of Jaxartes and during sieges. The transition from tension-based systems to more powerful torsion mechanisms marked a turning point in military engineering history.

  • Castles and fortified walled cities became common targets for catapults throughout the Middle Ages. Viking siege of Paris between AD 885 and 886 saw both sides employ virtually every instrument of siege craft known to the classical world. Trebuchets emerged as the most powerful catapult employed during medieval times. Edward I's army constructed Warwolf, a giant trebuchet that leveled sections of Stirling Castle walls in 1304. Traction trebuchets required people to pull ropes while counterpoise versions replaced humans with weights. Firebrands and deadly Greek Fire served as effective ammunition types alongside stones. Mangonels threw heavy projectiles from bowl-shaped buckets attached to arms reaching ranges up to several hundred meters. Springald designs resembled ballistae but were compact enough for use inside tight castle confines. Leonardo da Vinci sought improvements using wooden leaf springs though no records exist of his design being built during his lifetime. Eric Marsden translated texts by Ammianus Marcellius describing construction and combat usage of onagers in the 4th Century AD.

  • British experiments initiated in 1917 continued until 1919 launching Fairey Campania and Short 310 floatplanes. Aircraft catapults launched planes when takeoff areas were too short or needed higher weights than normal airborne operations. By the 1930s aircraft catapults became common on major warships including battleships cruisers and carriers. Merchant vessels operated by France and Germany used catapults to launch civil aircraft speeding mail deliveries or news. CAM ships temporarily installed catapults on merchant vessels during World War II to launch Hawker Hurricane fighters against German Focke Wulf Condor maritime reconnaissance aircraft. Hurricanes could not be recovered after launch requiring pilots to head for land or ditch in open ocean. Helicopter development made most catapults aside those used on aircraft carriers redundant. Last large-scale army use occurred during trench warfare of World War I throwing hand grenades across no man's land before replacement by small mortars. Soviet proposal SPBG launched grenades from spring-loaded shuttles up to several hundred meters as anti-tank weapons.

  • Vulcanized rubber invention in the 1840s enabled creation of small handheld catapults sold commercially or improvised from Y-shaped sticks. These devices known as slingshots gained popularity among children and teenagers in the United States. Clay pigeon shooting traps still widely use small catapults referred to as traps launching clay targets into air. Thrill-seekers utilized powerful trebuchets at Middlemoor Water Park Somerset England between 2001 and 2002 experiencing flights through air lasting seconds. Practice discontinued following fatalities when participants failed landing onto safety nets despite jury noting stricter measures might have prevented deaths. Human cannonball circus acts employ catapult launch mechanisms rather than gunpowder proving risky ventures for performers. Early roller coasters like Shuttle Loop installations between 1977 and 1978 used diesel engines or dropped weights acquiring momentum via catapult systems replaced later by flywheels linear motors. Pumpkin chunking competitions challenge participants launching pumpkins farthest by mechanical means though world record held by pneumatic air cannons. Homemade catapults discovered January 2011 smuggled cannabis bales across border fence from Mexico into United States.

Common questions

When did King Uzziah of Judah equip the walls of Jerusalem with catapults?

King Uzziah of Judah equipped the walls of Jerusalem with machines that shot great stones during the 7th century BC. This early use predates many other recorded instances of projectile-throwing devices in history.

Who invented the mechanical arrow-firing catapult described by Diodorus Siculus?

Diodorus Siculus described the invention of a mechanical arrow-firing catapult by a Greek task force in 399 BC. This weapon was soon employed against Motya, a key Carthaginian stronghold in Sicily, in 397 BC.

What is the earliest documented date for the existence of catapults according to historical records?

The earliest documented catapults date back to at least the 7th century BC, marking a significant shift in warfare technology. Chinese sources describe mangonels appearing between the 5th and 3rd centuries B.C.E., later reaching the Mediterranean by the 6th century C.E.

Which trebuchet did Edward I's army construct to level Stirling Castle walls in 1304?

Edward I's army constructed Warwolf, a giant trebuchet that leveled sections of Stirling Castle walls in 1304. Traction trebuchets required people to pull ropes while counterpoise versions replaced humans with weights.

How were aircraft catapults used on merchant vessels during World War II?

CAM ships temporarily installed catapults on merchant vessels during World War II to launch Hawker Hurricane fighters against German Focke Wulf Condor maritime reconnaissance aircraft. Hurricanes could not be recovered after launch requiring pilots to head for land or ditch in open ocean.

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All sources

39 references cited across the entry

  1. 1bookThe art of the catapult: build Greek ballista, Roman onagers, English trebuchets, and more ancient artilleryWilliam Gurstelle — Chicago Review Press — 2004
  2. 2webBible, King James Version
  3. 3inlineFull text of "The Yajur Veda"
  4. 4inlineChevedden et al. (1995), abstract at medievalists.net, quote: "The trebuchet, invented in China between the fifth and third centuries B.C.E., reached the Mediterranean by the sixth century C.E."
  5. 5bookA History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th CenturySingh, U. — Pearson Education — 2008
  6. 6harvnbCampbell (2003) p. 3Campbell — 2003
  7. 7citationA Greek-English LexiconHenry George Liddell et al. — Tufts
  8. 8citationA Greek-English LexiconHenry George Liddell et al. — Tufts
  9. 9citationDictionariesOxford
  10. 10journalDiodor von Sizilien 14,42,1 und die Erfindung der Artillerie im MittelmeerraumHans Michael Schellenberg — 2006
  11. 11harvnbCampbell (2003) p. 8Campbell — 2003
  12. 12citationThe Sinews of War: Ancient CatapultsSerafina Cuomo — 2004
  13. 13harvnbCampbell (2003) p. 4Campbell — 2003
  14. 14citationAncient Greece: A Political, Social, and Cultural HistoryStanley M Burstein et al. — Oxford University Press — 1999
  15. 15citationAncient Philosophy, Mystery and MagicPeter Kingsley — Clarendon — 1995
  16. 16citationMaster Gunner ApolloniosL Sprague de Camp — 1961
  17. 17harvnbCampbell (2003) p. 5Campbell — 2003
  18. 18harvnbMarsden (1969) p. 57Marsden — 1969
  19. 19harvnbCampbell (2003) p. 8ffCampbell — 2003
  20. 20harvnbMarsden (1969) p. 60Marsden — 1969
  21. 21citationEarly Artillery Towers: Messenia, Boiotia, Attica, MegaridJosiah Ober — 1987
  22. 22citationEmpire of Alexander the GreatDebra Skelton et al. — Facts on File — 2003
  23. 23citationDictionnaire des antiquités grecques et romainesUniv TLSE II
  24. 24citationEarly Carolingian Warfare: Prelude to EmpireBernard S Bachrach — University of Pennsylvania Press — 2001
  25. 25citationThe Crossbow: Its Military and Sporting History, Construction and UseRalph Payne-Gallwey — Skyhorse — 2007
  26. 26bookThe Compendium of Weapons, Armor & CastlesLeo Richard Lewis et al. — Nabu Press — 2010
  27. 27inlinePaul E. Chevedden, The Invention of the Counterweight Trebuchet: A Study in Cultural Diffusion , p.71, p.74, See citation:"The traction trebuchet, invented by the Chinese sometime before the fourth ce
  28. 28citationGreek Catapults and Catapult Technology: Science, Technology, and War in Ancient WorldBarton C Hacker — 1968
  29. 29citationCatapults
  30. 30citationCatapults info
  31. 31bookA Dictionary of AviationDavid W. Wragg — Osprey — 1973
  32. 32webRussian PIAT
  33. 33inlineIsraeli troops catapult fireball into Lebanon using weapon rarely used since 16th century, Benjamin Brown, Gianluca Mezzofiore, Paul Murphy and Christian Edwards for CNN, posted & accessed June 14, 20
  34. 34magazineScandal: Extreme Oxford SportsBrett Martin — August 5, 2013
  35. 35newsInquest told of student catapult deathOctober 31, 2005
  36. 36newsBBC NEWS UK England Oxfordshire - Safety doubts over catapult deathNovember 2, 2005
  37. 37newsThe Straight Dope: How do "human cannonballs" survive?Cecil Adams — Chicago Reader — 1991-06-21
  38. 38bookCoasters 101: An Engineer's Guide to Roller Coaster DesignNick Weisenberger — Nick Weisenberger — 2013
  39. 39citationMexican authorities seize homemade marijuana hurling catapult at borderJan 2011