Gastraphetes (Belly-Bow)
An early form of crossbow braced against the stomach to be drawn, offering more power than a standard hand-drawn bow.
Core metadata
- ID: gastraphetes_belly_bow
- Era: Classical
- First known date: -399 (exact)
- Region: Syracuse and wider Greek Mediterranean
- Review status: source_checked
- Maturity: N/A
Prerequisites
- Sibudu Bow-and-Arrow Use (archery)
- Bronze Working (bronze_working)
- Hafted Stone-Point Spears (composite_tools)
- Classical Simple Machines and Hoisting Aids (levers_pulleys_ramps)
- Basic Woodworking (woodworking_basic)
Dependents
Fields
- None.
Node sources
- Ancient Catapults: Some Hypotheses Reexamined (Hesperia / American School of Classical Studies at Athens, 2011, review) • Supports: node
Locator: The article discusses 399 BCE as the recognized date for catapult development at the composite-bow/gastraphetes stage, with torsion artillery later.
Prerequisite edge evidence
Edge/source evidence summary:
- Prerequisite edges: 5
- Average edge confidence: 69%
- Prerequisite sources: 5
- expert_inference: 5
| Prerequisite | Type | Confidence | Evidence level | Note | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sibudu Bow-and-Arrow Use (archery) | enabling | 68% | expert_inference | Archery provides a capability that enables this technology without being the only possible path. |
|
| Basic Woodworking (woodworking_basic) | historical_predecessor | 75% | expert_inference | Basic Woodworking is an earlier historical predecessor or foundation, not a one-to-one engineering dependency. |
|
| Bronze Working (bronze_working) | enabling | 68% | expert_inference | Bronze Working provides a capability that enables this technology without being the only possible path. |
|
| Hafted Stone-Point Spears (composite_tools) | enabling | 68% | expert_inference | Composite Tools provides a capability that enables this technology without being the only possible path. |
|
| Classical Simple Machines and Hoisting Aids (levers_pulleys_ramps) | enabling | 68% | expert_inference | Levers, Pulleys, and Ramps provides a capability that enables this technology without being the only possible path. |
|
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