Who Invented the Crossbow

An article by Sam Reese    Comments Off

Early evidence of the use of Crossbows can be trailed back in Chinese history to as early as 341 B.C. It is believed that the crossbows were first used in the battle of Ma-Ling in Lingyi, China. It became a primary warfare weapon after that and was used for several years to come. The Chinese kept upgrading and improving the original cross bow from time to time. One of the improved versions was the repeating cross bow; a highly advanced weapon which was used until 1895 in the China-Japan war.

The crossbows however were not very powerful till the invention of composite bows around the 1400s. Composite bows were made of materials such as horn, sinew etc. which enhanced the strength and elasticity of the weapon. Prior to the invention of composite bows, materials such as wood and bone were used for its construction. However, the earlier bows were much lighter and easier to carry. Besides, the process of making the composite bows was quite long and tedious. It took as long as six months for the glue to dry up hence making the procedure even more time consuming. Somewhere around the end of 1400, the use of steel to construct bows came into practice. It brought more strength and durability to the bow and also to the entire weapon as a whole. Romans are also said to have developed their own version of the Crossbow.