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Warmatrix

War Matrix - Crossbow

Iron Age 1100 BCE - 550 BCE, Weapons and technology

Crossbow with stirrup
Crossbow with stirrup
The crossbow alias arbalest is a handbow fastened horizontally onto a stock. This type of construction allows for high tension strength, making it more powerful. But because its draw lengths is shorter than that of a handbow, the difference is not so large as is often claimed.
The Chinese and Greeks invented crossbows more or less simultaneously, around the 7th - 4th century BCE. The Greeks developed them into field artillery weapons like the gastraphetes and later siege catapults like oxybeles and lithobolos, but never used light, hand-held crossbows. The Chinese did. They even developed a repeating crossbow that had limited range and power, yet reloaded very quickly. The crossbow made a comeback in Europe in the Middle Ages. It was the most popular missile weapon in Europe from 1200 CE to 1460 CE. The most famous Medieval crossbowmen came from the Italian city of Genoa and from Iberia. The crossbow was phased out in the decades around 1500 CE, when gunpowder firearms took over, but remained popular as a hunting weapon for centuries more, because it is silent.
Crossbows use shorter and thicker arrows than handbows, called bolts. Bolts with flanged tips are called quarrels, but this name is sometimes used for all kinds of bolts. Some crossbows do not shoot bolts but stones or bullets and are called 'stonebows', 'arbusts' or 'bullet crossbows'. The latter are used exclusively for hunting small game.
Crossbows evolved from light to very powerful weapons. During this evolution, ever more ingenious devices were developed to help the crossbowman pull the string up to full tension strength. Many of these heavy weapons were operated in teams of two men, one wielding the crossbow and another protecting both with a very large "pavise" shield and sometimes a spear.
Several types of crossbow can be discerned:

Crossbows largely replaced handbows though not entirely. They have more power, but a lower rate of fire. This makes them effective against at heavily armored targets, but unsuitable for mass volleys. The greatest advantage of the crossbow over the handbow is that it is easier to handle, requiring less strength and skill.