It is a combat weapon that is designed mainly to shoot arrows and bodoques. Its design is similar to that of a bow, but it is smaller and is fused with a straight base, which contains the trigger and other components. The bow is the support of the ammunition to be fired and it is the one that distributes, through the body of this, all the pressure so that it can be shot. In addition to this, there is a small pulley to adjust the tension with which the arrow will be held. Sometimes it is also called a ballista, a term that comes from the Latin “ballista”.
This type of weapon, driving force, was used in ancient wars and the men who had them were called "crossbowmen". Nowadays it is no longer used for battle purposes, but it is used for the practice of some sports and for free hunting. During a time, the official name of the weapon varied, going, mainly, to some derivations of ballista and even some that were not related; However, this occurred mainly due to the language barrier and the expressions that were used in each area of the planet, during the Middle Ages, to designate weapons.
The wars carried out in Europe, Asia and Africa by the years 500 a. C. and 300 a. C. depended, to a great extent, on the use of crossbows. In the West, despite the early use in these regions, the number of this type of weapons increased from the 10th century onwards. It is one of the great inventions that preceded the creation of firearms, but, becoming more lethal.
