The early history of the crossbow

[Eleatic Guest]

For hand-held torsion weapons -- which we wouldn't call crossbows! -- ...

But Baatz, apparently, did:

3.2. The early torsion crossbow (Hellenistic/Roman Principate).
Baatz takes finds of small bronze washers as evidence of this weapon, citing the upper calibre threshold of 5.5/6cm. He provides a table (Table 1, p. 7) of small washers (Ephyra; Mahdia; Bath; Elginhaugh; Volubilis 466 & 467), and cites Arrian (Tact. 43.1, with D B Campbell, Bonner Jahrb. 186, 1986) as evidence of handheld torsion weapons up to Hadrianic times.
3.3. The late-Roman torsion crossbow.
Baatz cites the archaeological finds from Gornea and Volubilis. He notes the problems of interpreting the "Cheiroballistra" text (e.g. method of spanning the machine not mentioned). Cheiroballistra = Vegetius' manuballista.

http://www.romanarmy.com/rat/viewtopic. ... straphetes [/quote]