Catapult

Curated By: Luke

When was the invention was created?

The catapults were first created in ancient Greece according to SCITECH as found in Arizona and we think it was around the 4th century BCE during the early Hellenistic time. So the reason Greece originally made catapults was because of the rise of cities with walls. According to Brick, as found in Greek Boston.

What impact did the invention have on this civilization?

They started to become more popular like Athens, Syracuse and later Macedon were surrounded with huge walls and Greece wanted an easy way to get to their enemies if they needed to if something like a war would have happened.

What else made this invention so historically important?

But when they created them they figured out this thing called a torsion spring which really helped the Greeks improve in a lot of things. Like they were able to make catapults bigger and stronger catapults with these springs. Like heavier arrows and boulders could be launched, they could launch them longer because of the better force, because of spring it had stronger impact against walls and they used boulder catapults with big torsion springs to break down walls.

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How did this invention helped other civilizations?

The Greek artillery really helped other people like the Romans improve their stuff and make bigger and better designs of what the Greeks had already created. Greeks also after Romans invented their artillery more. According to John Warry as found in UNRV the Greeks' understanding of mechanics and rate of fire influenced Roman engineers, who studied and improved upon these concepts. The engineers of Syracuse under Dionysius 1 are credited with creating the first catapult which supposedly happened around 399 BCE. So basically Greeks invented the catapult mainly to break through walls, shoot farther away, to make a more powerful artillery, and to help them dominate others in war. They were able to do this because they had some of the most advanced engineering skills of their time.

Websites with more information!

Catapults in STEM and their historical use - Learning Scenarios - STE(A)M ITThis learning scenario explores the history of catapults and their relation to STEM subjects via topics such as sports and everyday life use.

Ancient Greeks Invented the CatapultThe Ancient Greeks invented the catapult.

Catapult | Definition, History, Types, Design, & Facts | BritannicaCatapult, mechanism for forcefully propelling stones, spears, or other projectiles, in use mainly as a military weapon since ancient times. Nearly all catapults operated by a sudden release of tension on bent wooden beams or of torsion in twisted cords of horsehair, gut, sinew, or other fibers.

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