Crossbow

A bow made with a crossbow parallel to the arrow and operated by a mechanical trigger release. It was likely invented by the Chinese in the late Chou Dynasty (c 400 BC) for defending their cities. The best-preserved examples were in Ch'u state. Chinese skill in bronze casting enabled them to make the accurate trigger of several interlocking parts for the weapon's effectiveness. Cast-bronze trigger mechanisms are commonly found in late Eastern Zhou burials along with inlaid bronze bow fittings and bronze arrow points. It was the most important weapon of the Middle Ages, with its earliest appearance in Europe was in Italian cities during the 10th and 11th centuries.

A bow made with a crossbow parallel to the arrow and operated by a mechanical trigger release. The crossbow appeared in China no later than the 4th century bc (some scholars say far earlier) and may be a Chinese invention. Cast-bronze trigger mechanisms are commonly found in late Eastern Zhou burials along with inlaid bronze bow fittings and bronze arrow points; the arrow points, sometimes fitted to iron shanks, either carry three low fins or are round in cross-section, without fins.