Oxybeles

 ( Ancient Greek Military Terminology ) 

The oxybeles () was a weapon used by the Ancient Greece starting in 375 BC. The word is derived from Ancient Greek: οξύς ( oxys = sharp, pointed) and βέλος ( belos = arrow). The weapon was basically an oversized gastraphetes, a composite bow placed on a stand with a stock and a trigger. It was supplanted by the scientifically engineered ballista. The difference between the two is the use of torsion power by the ballista. The most notable use of the oxybeles was under Alexander the Great's rule.

• Ballista
• Gastraphetes
• Scorpio (weapon)

• Duncan B. Campbell and Brian Delf, Greek and Roman Artillery 399 BC–AD 363, New Vanguard series 89, Osprey Publishing Ltd., Oxford 2003.
• John Warry, Warfare in the Classical World, Salamander Books Ltd., London 1995.