Roman crossbow

[Thomas V.]

Which is fascinationg considering Persian, Turkish, Hunnic Bows, etc were Asymmetric, were they not?

I seem to recall that Hunnic bows where asymmetric. But then again, Hunnic bows aren't mentioned.

I'm not aware of the (a)symmetry of Persian and Turkish bows, however.

My assumptions regarding "de-facto hand composite bows" used as a crossbow prod:

• There might have been symmetric types of composite bows.
  
• Composite bows belonging to an asymmetric type might have been symmetric when intended for a crossbow.
  
• Asymmetry might not necessarily exclude a bow from beeing used as a crossbow prod. According to Harmuth, a crossbow is a bow operated with replacements for body parts: The stock replaces the left arm and the release mechanism replaces the right hand. As you can handle an asymmetric composite bow with your arm and the hand of your other arm, maybe it is possible to operate an asymmetric composite bow with a stock and release mechanism?