Catapult
- Other Names: Onager
- In Redwall: Used by Timballista
- Origin: Ancient Rome
- Time Period: The onager was created in 2nd century A.D; modified
into the catapult by the Celts around the 5th century A.D.
- Description: The catapult was a very strange-looking siege engine.
It had all sorts of winches and gears and pulleys and whatnot. It also
had a cradle, where a large stone was placed before being fired. The
onager, which made first, had a larger cradle that housed several smaller
stones or gravel, rather than a single boulder.
- Use: A rock or gravel was placed in the cradle, which was wound
back. The cord was then released or cut, and the cradle snapped forward,
sending the missile(s) within flying. When it was first made, it could
fire 40 to 80 yards, effectively. After the eleventh century, when it
was remodeled due to new technology, the catapult could fire a 30-pound stone
up to 200 yards with deadly force. The onager was used mainly against
enemy soldiers on the battlefield, while the catapult was used to bring down
castle walls.
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