Unusual ancient weapons

[esejony65]

http://members.multimania.nl/onager/gastrophetes.html
What about this "early crossbow" The Gastrophetes, will be it in the game alongside with others unusual weapons?

[Shigawire]

Your misapprehension of this is misleading. The "belly-shooter" wasn't an "unusual" weapon.
It was the very first invention of the "catapult." Greek: Kata-peltike, meaning "shield-shooter"

After the Gastraphete was invented in 399 BC, it was used as Dionysios' "secret new weapon" against Carthage. Dionysios used it in the siege of Motya. It was based on flexion power (bending wood). Later iterations had ratcheting so they didn't need to charge it with their belly/body weight. The first torsion catapults were developed by an engineer working for Philip II of Macedon. The torsion based systems used gut or sinew twisting around "washers." Two arms. Your basic "ballista."

Gastraphete would be obsolete by the time of Rome 2. Lots of other cool and unusual machines can be found in this period though.


For more information about the evolution of the catapult:
http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/war/CatapultTypes.htm