The
cheiroballista,
cheiroballistra or
manuballista, which translates in all its forms to 'hand
ballistaThe ballista , plural ballistae, was a weapon developed from earlier Greek weapons. It relied upon different mechanics, using two levers with torsion springs instead of a prod, the springs consisting of several loops of twisted skeins...
', was a late
Roman siege engineRoman siege engines were, for the most part, adapted from Hellenistic siege technology. Relatively small efforts were made to develop the technology; however, the Romans brought an unrelentingly aggressive style to siege warfare that brought them repeated success...
. Designed by
Hero of AlexandriaHero of Alexandria . was an ancient Greek mathematician who was a resident of a Roman province ; he was also an engineer who was active in his native city of Alexandria...
around AD 100 and mostly composed of metal (the spring mechanism and the skeins), it fired bolts that were smaller than those in other forms of ballista and generally made of metal. It was the next major improvement after the
ScorpioScorpio was a Roman artillery piece invented in 50 BC. Also known by the name of the triggerfish, it was described in detail by Vitruvius, with the next major improvement being the Cheiroballista...
.
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The
cheiroballista,
cheiroballistra or
manuballista, which translates in all its forms to 'hand
ballistaThe ballista , plural ballistae, was a weapon developed from earlier Greek weapons. It relied upon different mechanics, using two levers with torsion springs instead of a prod, the springs consisting of several loops of twisted skeins...
', was a late
Roman siege engineRoman siege engines were, for the most part, adapted from Hellenistic siege technology. Relatively small efforts were made to develop the technology; however, the Romans brought an unrelentingly aggressive style to siege warfare that brought them repeated success...
. Designed by
Hero of AlexandriaHero of Alexandria . was an ancient Greek mathematician who was a resident of a Roman province ; he was also an engineer who was active in his native city of Alexandria...
around AD 100 and mostly composed of metal (the spring mechanism and the skeins), it fired bolts that were smaller than those in other forms of ballista and generally made of metal. It was the next major improvement after the
ScorpioScorpio was a Roman artillery piece invented in 50 BC. Also known by the name of the triggerfish, it was described in detail by Vitruvius, with the next major improvement being the Cheiroballista...
.
The name of the weapon implies that portable versions might also have existed, similar to
crossbowA crossbow is a weapon consisting of a bow mounted on a stock that shoots projectiles, often called bolts. The medieval crossbow was called by many names, most of which derived from the word ballista, a siege engine resembling a crossbow in mechanism and appearance.Crossbows historically played a...
s.
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