The Invention of Crossbows

Did you know that crossbows were actually created in 700 BC? The crossbow was created in Ancient China during the Zhou dynasty, around the year 700 BC. A Chinese text, from 200 BC, gives credit to Mr. Ch’in of Ch’u for creating the crossbow. It had a horizontally bow, with a stock and trigger. The crossbow came from the horizontal bow-trap used by other civilizations at the same time. They had a range of up to 650 feet. The crossbow had a shooting machinery, which was so hard to use that it would have been nearly impossible for an enemy to understand how to use it, which reduces the chance of it being copied by enemy civilizations.

The crossbow was not invented as a tool for war, but as a peace tool. It was made to calm the wars between places at the end of the Zhou dynasty. If someone with a better weapon, everyone else would stop fighting and listen to the people with the crossbow. The crossbow was thought to be so advanced that around 200 BC, a law was made to stop people from bringing crossbows out of China, for fear that enemies would copy them. Crossbows and trigger were mass-produced so much that, in 157 BC, a prince named Liang Hsiao Wang was the leader of regiments that had 50,000 men and a few hundred thousand crossbows. Some crossbows were so big that they needed multiple men to shoot them. In the 11th century, rapid-firing crossbows were created that could shoot 20 arrows in 15 seconds. The Chinese used the crossbow for war as late as 1895. The crossbow is used now as a weapon for hunting, and for target practice at archery ranges. Modem crossbows have many metal parts, and are very light. A slightly modified version of the Chinese crossbow trigger mechanism is used in modern handguns. The Ancient Chinese invented many things, but I think one of the most important of all is the crossbow.

Crossbows have changed a lot from when it was first invented by Mr. Ch’in. Originally, the crossbow was made of bronze and now it is made from carbon.

At first the crossbow was used for warfare and peace. Now they are used for hunting purposes. Crossbows have changed a lot since they were first invented.