- Cheiroballista
The cheiroballista, cheiroballistra or manuballista, which translates in all its forms to 'hand
ballista ', was a late Roman siege engine. Designed byHero of Alexandria around 100 CE 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 Scorpio. [Warry, J. (1995). "Warfare in the Classical World". "Pg.178" Salamander Books Ltd., London: United Kingdom. ISBN 0-8061-2794-5]The name of the weapon implies that portable versions might also have existed, similar to
crossbow s.References
External links
* [http://www.dl.ket.org/latin1/gallery/military/ballista.htm Cheiroballistra]
* [http://198.144.2.125/Siege/Aitor/Reconstructing%20the%20Cheiroballistra.htm Reconstructing the Cheiroballistra]
* [http://www.unc.edu/courses/rometech/public/content/special/Kat_Smith/ROMANARTILLERY.htm Roman artillery]
* [http://www.stormthewalls.dhs.org/Siege/Aitor/Aitor%20Iriarte.htm Reconstructing Ancient Artillery]
* [http://www.thehurl.org/tiki-browse_image.php?galleryId=&imageId=595 Drawing]
* [http://wildfiregames.com/0ad/page.php?p=1524 Greco Roman Artillery]
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