Gastraphetes

The Gastraphetes was an Ancient Greek crossbow that was loaded by pressing down on it using your body weight; in other words the heavier you are the easier it is to load and the more powerful a weapon you can wield. Whats not to like? On a more serious note the weapon was documented by Heron of Alexandria a Greek engineer working in the early first century, but the invention is several hundred years older. Exactly what it was and how it was used is disputed, but this is one interpretation..... If you would like to support this channel, visiting my sites really helps as does signing up to the news letter in the bottom left corner of the home page. This gastraphetes was a custom piece from https://todsworkshop.com​​ Production replica weapons are available here https://todcutler.com​​ And T shirts and Merch https://todsworkshop.creator-spring.com The "Marsden" I refer to is the author of this excellent book and although I (foolishly) didn't address his work you can find out why he was such an expert here: GREEK AND ROMAN ARTILLERY Historical Development Eric William Marsden ISBN 10: 0198142684 / ISBN 13: 9780198142683 Published by Oxford Clarendon Press, 1969