Roman Catapult Facts For Kids: Working And Uses Disclosed!

A catapult is a contraption used as a weapon to launch boulders or other objects, such as hot tar, that would inflict damage to something else.

Small catapults were frequently placed on higher land or atop castle towers to allow them to fire farther. Catapults fired pebbles to break walls of castles or shot rocks or hot tar to set fire to the enemy trenches.

Catapults launched rocks or other objects into the air using weights and levers. They did not throw as far as contemporary weaponry and are therefore ineffective in modern warfare. Catapults were popular in the early stages of warfare and siege-craft in the middle ages.

When the takeoff runway is too short for a powered takeoff or just impracticable to expand, aviation catapults are employed to launch planes from land bases and sea carriers. They are also used by ships to launch torpedoes and drop explosives against submarines.

Earlier in the sport of clay pigeon shooting, small catapults known as 'traps' were extensively employed to launch clay targets into the air.

Catapults were also once employed by thrill-seekers to experience being hurled through the air. This practice of using catapults has been halted owing to fatalities that occurred when participants failed to land on the safety net.

What is a catapult?

A catapult is a ballistic device that uses no gunpowder or other propellants to throw a projectile at a considerable distance, and it is most usually linked with ancient and medieval siege engines.

Catapults are also modern systems that use hydraulic pressure, tension, or other forces to launch gliders, airplanes, or missiles.

Catapults largely have been replaced by the invention of the pneumatic air cannon used to throw missiles, but the design of the catapult is still relevant to launch planes and deploy bombs, especially in sea carriers.

They're sometimes known as catapults, but most often, they refer to a larger engine that's used to hurl stones from one long arm swinging through the vertical plane.

Almost all catapults used in ancient and medieval warfare utilized a quick release of strain on bent wooden beams or torsion in twisted ropes of sinew, gut, horsehair, or other fibers.

The medieval trebuchet, which was driven by gravity, was an exception. The long end of a pivot arm was drawn or winched down and then released in this powerful weapon, allowing for a substantial counterweight at the tiny far end of the arm to drop and swing the lengthy end up.

Invention And History Of The Catapult

The Romans only improved on the design developed by the Greeks in the fourth century BC and did not actually invent the catapult. They changed the materials used and tweaked the design, allowing them to attain a higher range and accuracy than previously attainable.

Romans thus widely popularized these old weapons through the ballista to fire heavy projectiles in an overhead arc.

Catapults were first used in the seventh century BC when King Uzziah of Judah was documented as arming the walls of Jerusalem with machinery that fired large stones.

The ancient Romans and Greeks employed a ballista, a massive crossbow-like weapon, to fire arrows, darts, and stones at opposing soldiers. A Greek task force invented the mechanical arrow-firing catapult or the belly bow (katapeltikon) around 399 BC, according to historian Diodorus Siculus (first century BC).

In Greece, the catapults and crossbows were inextricably linked. These weapons were the outcome of very simple attempts to extend the range and penetrating force of projectiles by strengthening the thing that launched them.

Trebuchets were most likely the most powerful catapults used throughout the Middle Ages. Stones were the most widely used ammunition, but sharp wooden poles and darts could be replaced if required.

The most effective ammunition, on the other hand, used fire, such as firebrands and deadly Greek fire. Trebuchets were built in two styles: traction, which was propelled by humans, and counterpoise, which was powered by a weight on the short end.

Catapults were last used as weapons on a large scale in military operations during World War One's trench warfare. Catapults were utilized in the early stages of the war to launch hand grenades over no man's land into enemy lines; small mortars gradually took their place.

Another common usage has been pumpkin chunking, in which people compete to see who can throw a pumpkin the farthest using mechanical means.

Working Of The Catapult

Physics involved in the Roman catapult is the utilization of stored energy to propel a projectile (the payload) without the usage of explosives. Tension, torsion, and gravity are the three major energy storage techniques.

The entire catapulting procedure is based on gravitational potential energy or the storage of potential energy in the form of tension (of ropes or a wooden arm).

During ancient times, the catapults proved to be a highly powerful weapon capable of causing significant damage. The trebuchet, mangonel, onager, and ballista were the most common types of catapults utilized.

A trebuchet is an ancient war contraption that was used to launch large cargo at opponents. The payload may be sent long distances and cause significant damage, such as destroying walls or injuring the opponent while they are inside their fortification.

The trebuchet was the most precise and efficient in terms of transmitting stored energy to the projectile among the numerous types of catapults.

Furthermore, it allowed for better consistency in throws because the same amount of energy could be given every time, thanks to a higher counterbalance.

The process went something like this: pull your long arm back (in the case of ballista catapult, a rope), fill a bucket, sling, or nook with projectiles, allow potential energy to flow.

Then, the arm of the catapult has work done; the arm collides with the base of the catapult, bringing it to a halt, missiles or the projectile maintain the kinetic energy from the arm's work.

This kinetic energy from the catapult propels the missiles towards the target. Tension is one of the key factors in the working of these ancient catapults used in siege-craft and breaking walls.

Types Of Catapult And Their Uses

The scorpion, ballista, and onager were the three types of catapults employed in the Middle Ages.

Forts and fortress walled cities were common throughout this period, and catapults were used as assault weaponry against them. Flaming missiles, diseased corpses, or trash could be hurled well over ramparts in conjunction with their usefulness in breaching fortifications.

Scorpions were made from springs that were housed in a steel cage with two string windings made from animal tendons or hairs. They enhanced the force on the device's arm when they were released. Rather than causing damage to structures, it was used to injure and kill the opponent.

Ballistae were large crossbows that were supposed to function by torsion. The missiles were spears or darts with an iron point. These arrows were fired at a target following a flat trajectory. Ballistae were precise but lacked the firepower of a trebuchet or mangonel.

Most ballistae were constructed on the spot after the siege's primary military commander determined how to proceed. It could fire a stone or bolt ahead and strike a wall beyond the range of the opposing archers, who were limited to firing arrows for less than a half-mile.

As a result, the soldiers were able to position themselves away from the attackers. It has been known to move swiftly and strike its target at high speeds of up to 115 mph (185 kph), making it a potential killer or seriously harming someone in an instant.

In the Middle Ages, onager catapults were made up of a basic frame with rollers on each corner. In the center was a tall construction with a bar at the top. A long beam of wood below was linked to a really tightly twisted braided rope at the lower end.

Mangonels were often known as onagers in the Middle Ages. The onager was capable of hurling stones from a sling, which was eventually replaced by a bowl-shaped bucket device.

The name onager is taken from the Greek word 'onagros,' which means 'wild ass', and refers to the kicking action and force that were replicated in the design of the mangonel.

There are few historical documents on onagers. The (most) complete description of mangonel comes from Eric Marsden's translation of a work published by Ammianus Marcellius in the fourth Century AD, which describes its manufacturing and combat use.

To give the weaponry a springy motion, this was done. The projectile was carried by a large spoon-like receptacle at the other side of the arm, which was usually filled with a large boulder or stacks of stones. The rocks, which could reach up to 150 lb (68 kg), were thrown at walls and castles.