Essay
Originally, catapults were merely an attempt, by the Greeks, to improve an existing military weapon, the crossbow. The goal in altering this weapon was to improve to range and power of it’s performance. In 399 B.C., the first individual to use a mechanical arrow firing catapult was recorded by Diodorus Siculus, a Greek historian. Catapults were introduced to Europe in the Middle Ages, and to England through the English channel by the French in 1216.
The Ballista catapult had a similar design of a giant crossbow and were designed specifically to work through torsion. The most typically used ammunition were wooden arrows, or darts, with sharp iron tips. While the ballista was great when it came to accuracy, it lacked in mobility and firepower. Ballista’s used to have to be constructed on site following a siege assessment by the commanding military officer.
The Springald’s design was similar to that of a ballista’s in some aspects. Like the ballista, the springald is a sort of giant crossbow propelled by tension force. Unlike the ballista, the springald featured a more compact design for mobility and more discreet hiding. This aspect is good for being sneaky in getting a catapult into an enemy castle, however it made the catapult much less efficient and comprised it’s force.
An example of a modern day catapult would be an aircraft carrier. Aircraft carriers do not have runway space for an aircraft to gain enough speed to take off by itself, but the carrier has technology similar to that of a catapult, (only much more advanced) which propels the aircraft forward into flight.
I want my catapult to have the best of both worlds when it comes to the design of the ballista and springald. I want it to have the immense power and accuracy of the ballista as well as the small, sneaky structure of the springald. These ideas may contradict each other, and it could be a challenge to make these aspects work together rather than against each other, but I think I can find a way to do it.
The Ballista catapult had a similar design of a giant crossbow and were designed specifically to work through torsion. The most typically used ammunition were wooden arrows, or darts, with sharp iron tips. While the ballista was great when it came to accuracy, it lacked in mobility and firepower. Ballista’s used to have to be constructed on site following a siege assessment by the commanding military officer.
The Springald’s design was similar to that of a ballista’s in some aspects. Like the ballista, the springald is a sort of giant crossbow propelled by tension force. Unlike the ballista, the springald featured a more compact design for mobility and more discreet hiding. This aspect is good for being sneaky in getting a catapult into an enemy castle, however it made the catapult much less efficient and comprised it’s force.
An example of a modern day catapult would be an aircraft carrier. Aircraft carriers do not have runway space for an aircraft to gain enough speed to take off by itself, but the carrier has technology similar to that of a catapult, (only much more advanced) which propels the aircraft forward into flight.
I want my catapult to have the best of both worlds when it comes to the design of the ballista and springald. I want it to have the immense power and accuracy of the ballista as well as the small, sneaky structure of the springald. These ideas may contradict each other, and it could be a challenge to make these aspects work together rather than against each other, but I think I can find a way to do it.