![]() However, in addition to his inventions which were intended for building and creation, Archimedes devised weapons that must have been terrifying and seemed otherworldly to anyone who faced them in battle, such as projectile devices and powerful catapults that were capable of hurling rocks of up to 700 pounds (317 kilos). Though few details are known about his life, he is regarded as one of the leading scientists in classical antiquity, and made discoveries such as ‘Archimedes Screw’ which is still used today for crop irrigation and sewage treatment. No list of inventive ancient weapons would be complete without a few examples from the amazing mind of mathematician, physician, engineer, astronomer and inventor Archimedes of Syracuse (c.287 BC c.212 BC). Archimedes was a master of weaponryĪrchimedes directing the defences of Syracuse. They also allowed armies to effectively break through another’s defences more effectively, whether in direct battle or when besieging or breaking into a fortress or similar.įrom fire which could burn on water to a rapid-fire crossbow, these arms highlight the creativity, ingenuity and sometimes horrific imaginations of the designers of ancient war machines. ![]() However, in addition to commonly-used handheld weapons, other, lesser-known weapons of war became more detailed and deadly, and were designed to give an unexpected advantage on the battlefield. For example, the Romans’ principal arms included their versions of daggers, short swords, spears and bows for hand-to-hand, battlefield and cavalry combat. Most weapons that were used by classical or ancient civilisations will be familiar to us. Along with expert tacticians, warring empires required sophisticated weaponry to overcome the enemy, with the latter often swinging the balance between whether a battle was lost or won. Civilisations in the ancient world were characterised by political uncertainty and warfare. ![]()
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