The gastraphetes (), also called belly bow or belly shooter, was a hand-held crossbow used by the Ancient Greeks.[; ; ; ; ] It was described in the 1st century by the Greek author Heron of Alexandria in his work Belopoeica, which draws on an earlier account of the famous Greek engineer Ctesibius (floruit 285–222 BC). Heron identifies the gastraphetes as the forerunner of the later catapult, which places its invention some unknown time before c. 420 BC.[; ]
Unlike later Ancient Rome and medieval crossbows, spanning the weapon was not done by pulling up the string but by pushing down a slider mechanism.
Description
A fairly detailed description and drawing of the gastraphetes appears in Heron's
Belopoeica (
Ancient Greek Βελοποιικά, English translation:
On arrow-making), drawn from the account by the 3rd-century BC engineer Ctesibius. The weapon was powered by a
composite bow. It was cocked by resting the belly in a at the rear of the stock and pressing it down. In this way considerably more energy can be summoned up than by using only one arm of the archer as in the hand-bow.
There are no attestations through pictures or archaeological finds, but Heron's description is detailed enough to allow modern reconstructions. According to some authors, the dimensions of the gastraphetes may have involved a prop.
A larger version of the gastraphetes were the oxybeles used in siege warfare. Early ballista later supplanted these, which later developed into smaller versions supplanting the gastraphetes.
Date
According to a long dominant view expressed by E. W. Marsden, the gastraphetes was invented in 399 BC by a team of Greek craftsmen assembled by the tyrant Dionysius I of Syracuse.
However, recent scholarship has pointed out that the historian
Diodorus Siculus (fl. 1st century BC) actually did not mention the gastraphetes, but was referring to the invention of the "katapeltikon", a mechanical arrow firing
catapult.
[Diodorus Siculus 14.42.1] Since Heron states in his
Belopoeica that stand-mounted mechanical artillery such as the
katapeltikon was inspired by the earlier hand-held gastraphetes, the invention of handheld crossbows into Greek warfare must have thus occurred some unknown time before 399 BC.
The terminus ante quem may be more precisely defined as being before 421 BC, since another Greek author, Biton (fl. 2nd century BC), whose reliability has been positively reevaluated by recent scholarship,
[; ] credits two advanced forms of the gastraphetes to a certain Zopyros. This Zopyros was probably a
Pythagoreanism engineer from
Taranto.
[Peter Kingsley: "Ancient Philosophy, Mystery and Magic", Clarendon Press, Oxford 1995, p.150ff.][Lewis established a lower date of no later than the mid-4th century (). Same de Camp ().] He may have designed his stand-mounted bow-machines on the occasion of the sieges of
Cumae and
Miletus between 421 BC and 401 BC, thus marking the date by which the archetypical gastraphetes must have already been known.
[Biton 65.1–67.4 & 61.12–65.1; ]
Other ancient crossbows
Besides the gastraphetes, the ancient world knew a variety of mechanical hand-held weapons similar to the later
Middle Ages crossbow. The exact terminology is a subject of continuing scholarly debate.
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Greek and Roman authors like Vegetius (fl. 4th century AD) note repeatedly the use of arrow firing weapons such as arcuballista and manuballista respectively cheiroballistra. While most scholars agree that one or more of these terms refer to handheld mechanical weapons, there is disagreement about whether these were flexion bows or torsion powered like the recent Xanten find.
[Romanhideout.com: Manuballista found near Xanten]
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The Ancient Rome commander Arrian (c. 86 – after 146 AD) records in his Tactica Roman cavalry training for firing some mechanical handheld weapon from horseback.
[Arrian Tact. 43.1; ; ]
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Sculptural reliefs from Roman Gaul depict the use of crossbows in hunting scenes. Dating to the 2nd century AD, the specimens are remarkably similar to the later medieval crossbow, including the typical nut lock. From their reflexible shape they were .
[Dictionnaire des antiquites grecques et romaines: Arcuballista, Manuballista ]
Sources
Further reading
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Diels, H.; Schramm, E. (eds.): "Herons 'Belopoiika'", (Abhandlungen der preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Philosoph.-hist. Kl. 2.) Berlin: Reimer, 1918, Chapter 7
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Schellenberg, H. M.: "Anmerkungen zu Heron von Alexandria und seinem Werk über den Geschützbau", in: Schellenberg, H.M. / Hirschmann, V. E./ Krieckhaus, A. (eds.): "A Roman Miscellany. Essays in Honour of Anthony R. Birley on his Seventieth Birthday", Gdansk 2008, pp. 92–130
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