eriod from the fall of Rome to the middle of the seventeenth century. Although the crossbow is not well documented in the period from the fall of Rome to Hastings, at least a little is known. Much confusion is caused by the lack of specific vocabulary pertaining to the crossbow. For example, the Latin balista and the French arbaleste each refer to both the small hand held weapon and the large siege engine with a similar action. Often we can only judge by context. In cases where references are made to large numbers of devices, and where such devices are described as highly mobile, we assume the meaning to be the crossbow. Another ambiguous clue, riddle 17 of the Anglo Saxon chronicle The Exeter Book, refers to a mechanically released bow-type weapon, some say a crossbow while others say a siege engine. "I am the protector of my flock, fast strengthened with wires...I often spit forth deadly spears...missiles of war fly from my belly." The French chronicler Richerus records that arcobalistae were used in the siege of Senlis in 947 AD and again at Verdun in 985. Their presence was known at the battle of Hjorungsvag, Norway in 986. Primitive examples have been discovered in digs at Lillohus, Kristianstad, Sweden. Some experts attribute these bows to the later Middle Ages, but the fact that Scandinavian peasants used this type of weapon for many centuries with little development makes determining the earliest date of use difficult. This Scandinavian primitive bow differs in release from the Roman bow, instead showing similarities in release to the simple African and Southeast Asian trap-bows still in use today. The use of the crossbow at Hastings and before is uncertain. We can make some solid assumptions based on human nature, and try to justify our theories using deductive reasoning. Taking a clue from military history, we see that in general military leaders have always used effective weapons, providing that the use of such weapons did no...
