Description
An ancestor of the medieval crossbow, this dart-firing ballista still required a sizable wooden stand and could not easily be moved by its single crewman. It was accurate at short ranges for sniping individuals, but could also be fired indirectly, with groups of several scorpions often deployed to form a battery in the field. Like the ballista, it was an improvement on the earlier gastraphetes, or belly-bow, and utilised either a composite bow or torsion springs to launch both flighted and flightless bolts. Incredibly powerful for its size, the scorpion required the crewman to ratchet back the drawstring with a windlass and lever. Even so, the rate of fire was high, and a skilled operator could loose three to four bolts a minute while firing indirectly. Easy to construct with the right raw materials, the required metal parts could be transported in the baggage so scorpions could be quickly assembled.
