The Carroballista

The basic ballista mechanism was created by the Greeks in the fifth century BC, but the Romans surely expanded the practical use of this weapon system for use in combat. The manuballista, a Roman siege engine from the imperial era, served as the foundation for the carroballista. The Roman army used it because it was the most sophisticated two-armed torsion engine. The ability to maneuver was the main distinction between these two systems.

The carroballista was a terrifying hybrid of the Roman ballista and the catapult. For optimum power, it blasted hefty bolts using a system of accumulated spring energy. On the battlefield, two men were required to handle this weapon, and it was quickly adopted as a major piece of Roman artillery. According to current reports, each legion possessed 55 carroballista.