Polybolos

• The Polybolos was a Repeating Catapult or Ballista used in Ancient Greece and described by Philon of Byzantium (c.280-220 BCE) as using a chain drive to fire multiple bolts per minute.
• It was the Machine Gun of the Ancient World.

History

• Although no Polybolos has ever been discovered, one of the skeletons belonging to a defender excavated at Maiden Castle in southwestern Britain was found to have a bolt in his spine.
• It is thought by archeologists to have been fired from a Polybolos during the Roman Conquest of Britannia in 43 CE.

Chinese Repeating Crossbow

• The Chinese invented a Repeating Crossbow during the Warring States Period (475-221 BCE).
• This was a hand held crossbow where one hand held a pistol grip and the other drew a lever back and forth which loaded bolts from a magazine and fired them.
• It had a short range, little power or accuracy and was ineffective against heavy armour unless the bolt tips were poisoned.