Section: Projectiles
Variable: Crossbow (All coded records)
The absence or presence of crossbow as a military technology used in warfare.  
Crossbow
#  Polity  Coded Value Tags Year(s) Edit Desc
1 Early Qing present Confident Expert -
Crossbows remained in use through the Early and Late Qing periods, e.g. chu-ko-nu which was a Chinese repeating crossbow equipped with a magazine to hold bolts. Typically made of wood, sinew wrapping, bamboo and thick rawhide string. [1]

[1]: (Grayson, French and O’Brien 2007, p.24)


2 Late Qing unknown Suspected Expert -
Crossbows remained in use through the Early and Late Qing periods, e.g. chu-ko-nu which was a Chinese repeating crossbow equipped with a magazine to hold bolts. Typically made of wood, sinew wrapping, bamboo and thick rawhide string. [1]

[1]: (Grayson, French and O’Brien 2007, p.24)


3 Late Formative Basin of Mexico absent Confident Expert -
"There is no substantial evidence of bows and arrows at this time [Middle and Late Formative]". [1]

[1]: (Hassig 1992: 197) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/E9VHCKDG.


4 Terminal Formative Basin of Mexico absent Confident Expert -
"There is no substantial evidence of bows and arrows at this time [Middle and Late Formative]". [1] First introduced into Central Mexico during the Middle Postclassic by Chichimec invaders from Northern Mesoamerica. [2] [3]

[1]: (Hassig 1992: 197) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/E9VHCKDG.

[2]: Hassig, Ross. (1992). "War and Society in Ancient Mesoamerica." Berkeley: University of California Press, p.47, 119-20.

[3]: Tolstoy, Paul (1971). "Utilitarian Artifacts of Central Mexico." In The Handbook of Middle American Indians, vol. 10, ed. G. F. Ekholm, and I. Bernal. Austin: University of Texas Press, 270-296.


5 Hawaii I absent Confident Expert -
[1]

[1]: Kirch, P. V. 2010. How Chiefs Became Kings: Divine Kingship and the Rise of Archaic States in Ancient Hawai’i. Berkeley: University of California Press.


6 Hawaii II absent Confident Expert -
[1]

[1]: Kirch, P. V. 2010. How Chiefs Became Kings: Divine Kingship and the Rise of Archaic States in Ancient Hawai’i. Berkeley: University of California Press.


7 Hawaii III absent Confident Expert -
Inferred [1] .

[1]: Kuykendall, Ralph S. 1968[1938]. The Hawaiian Kingdom, Volume 1: 1778-1854, Foundation and Transformation. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.


8 Kingdom of Hawaii - Kamehameha Period absent Confident Expert -
[1] .

[1]: Kuykendall, Ralph S. 1968[1938]. The Hawaiian Kingdom, Volume 1: 1778-1854, Foundation and Transformation. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.


9 Cahokia - Early Woodland absent Confident Expert -
-
10 Cahokia - Middle Woodland absent Confident Expert -
-
11 Cahokia - Late Woodland I absent Confident Expert -
-
12 Cahokia - Late Woodland II absent Confident Expert -
-
13 Cahokia - Late Woodland III absent Confident Expert -
-
14 Cahokia - Emergent Mississippian I absent Confident Expert -
-
15 Cahokia - Sand Prairie absent Confident Expert -
-
16 Oneota absent Confident Expert -
-
17 Early Illinois Confederation absent Inferred Expert -
Sources only mention bows and arrows, muskets, war-clubs, knives, and hatchets [1] . It should be noted that sources that specifically describe the way the Illinois Confederation waged war are relatively rare.

[1]: Illinois State Museum, The Illinois, Technology: Weapons (2000), http://www.museum.state.il.us/muslink/nat_amer/post/htmls/te_houses.html


18 Cahokia - Lohman-Stirling absent Confident Expert -
-
19 Cahokia - Moorehead absent Confident Expert -
-
20 Cahokia - Emergent Mississippian II absent Confident Expert -
-
21 Funan I unknown Suspected Expert -
A crossbow mechanism was found in Lang Vac cemetery, a site from the Dong Son culture in central Vietnam. [1] Though the Lang Vac cemetery is not part of the Funanese polity, it lies within the area of contact and points to possible knowledge of crossbows in Funan.

[1]: (Higham 2002, p. 176)


22 Funan II unknown Suspected Expert -
A crossbow mechanism was found in Lang Vac cemetery, a site from the Dong Son culture in central Vietnam. [1] Though the Lang Vac cemetery is not part of the Funanese polity, it lies within the area of contact and points to possible knowledge of crossbows in Funan.

[1]: (Higham 2002, p. 176)


23 Chenla unknown Suspected Expert -
A crossbow mechanism was found in Lang Vac cemetery, a site from the Dong Son culture in central Vietnam. [1] Though the Lang Vac cemetery is not part of the Chenla polity, it lies within the area of contact and points to possible knowledge of crossbows in Chenla.

[1]: (Higham 2002, 176)


24 Early Angkor present Confident Expert -
’The ordinary Khmer soldiers as well as officers might carry a lance; or a bow, with the arrows being held in a quiver; or sabres of different length; or various sizes of knives and daggers; or a kind of halberd known as a phka’h. The latter was basically an iron axe mounted on a long handle curved at one end. At Angkor Wat, the phka’k is held in the hands of high-ranking warriors mounted on elephants or horses; it is still in use in the twentieth century for hunting or work in the forest. Crossbows were known, but are extremely rare in the reliefs.’ [1] ’Others, equally rare, carry an arbalest. This weapon (Fig 12.5), very poorly reproduced, seems to consist of a bow and a grooved guide. G. Groslier suggests it is a wooden trigger holding taught the bowstring; this seems possible but we have found nothing like it.’ [2]

[1]: (Coe 2003, p. 185)

[2]: (Jacq-Hergoualc’h and Smithies 2007, p. 23)


25 Classical Angkor present Confident Expert -
’The ordinary Khmer soldiers as well as officers might carry a lance; or a bow, with the arrows being held in a quiver; or sabres of different length; or various sizes of knives and daggers; or a kind of halberd known as a phka’h. The latter was basically an iron axe mounted on a long handle curved at one end. At Angkor Wat, the phka’k is held in the hands of high-ranking warriors mounted on elephants or horses; it is still in use in the twentieth century for hunting or work in the forest. Crossbows were known, but are extremely rare in the reliefs.’ [1] ’Others, equally rare, carry an arbalest. This weapon (Fig 12.5), very poorly reproduced, seems to consist of a bow and a grooved guide. G. Groslier suggests it is a wooden trigger holding taught the bowstring; this seems possible but we have found nothing like it.’ [2]

[1]: (Coe 2003, p. 185)

[2]: (Jacq-Hergoualc’h and Smithies 2007, p. 23)


26 Late Angkor present Confident Expert -
’The ordinary Khmer soldiers as well as officers might carry a lance; or a bow, with the arrows being held in a quiver; or sabres of different length; or various sizes of knives and daggers; or a kind of halberd known as a phka’h. The latter was basically an iron axe mounted on a long handle curved at one end. At Angkor Wat, the phka’k is held in the hands of high-ranking warriors mounted on elephants or horses; it is still in use in the twentieth century for hunting or work in the forest. Crossbows were known, but are extremely rare in the reliefs.’ [1] ’Others, equally rare, carry an arbalest. This weapon (Fig 12.5), very poorly reproduced, seems to consist of a bow and a grooved guide. G. Groslier suggests it is a wooden trigger holding taught the bowstring; this seems possible but we have found nothing like it.’ [2]

[1]: (Coe 2003, p. 185)

[2]: (Jacq-Hergoualc’h and Smithies 2007, p. 23)


27 Khmer Kingdom present Confident Expert -
’The ordinary Khmer soldiers as well as officers might carry a lance; or a bow, with the arrows being held in a quiver; or sabres of different length; or various sizes of knives and daggers; or a kind of halberd known as a phka’h. The latter was basically an iron axe mounted on a long handle curved at one end. At Angkor Wat, the phka’k is held in the hands of high-ranking warriors mounted on elephants or horses; it is still in use in the twentieth century for hunting or work in the forest. Crossbows were known, but are extremely rare in the reliefs.’ [1] ’Others, equally rare, carry an arbalest. This weapon (Fig 12.5), very poorly reproduced, seems to consist of a bow and a grooved guide. G. Groslier suggests it is a wooden trigger holding taught the bowstring; this seems possible but we have found nothing like it.’ [2]

[1]: (Coe 2003, p. 185)

[2]: (Jacq-Hergoualc’h and Smithies 2007, p. 23)


28 Ayutthaya present Confident Expert -
"The crossbow remained in use up through the nineteenth century in the mainland" of South-East Asia, and "as early as the 1430s, crossbows were fired from the saddles of elephants in battle, and figured prominently in warfare between the Siamese, Burmese and Khmer" [1] .

[1]: (Charney 2004, p. 36)


29 Rattanakosin present Confident Expert -
"The crossbow remained in use up through the nineteenth century in the mainland" of South-East Asia [1] .

[1]: (Charney 2004, p. 36)


30 Java - Buni Culture absent Confident Expert -
-
31 Kalingga Kingdom unknown Suspected Expert -
-
32 Medang Kingdom unknown Suspected Expert -
Old Mataram was a ’highly Indianized culture’ until it was replaced by an East Javanese one "that increasingly promoted various elements of the island’s older indigenous traditions." [1] Indian military terms surviving in Javanese: "war, weapon, sword, lance, armour, shield, helmet, banner, battle, siege, fortress, soldier, officer, enemy, spy, etc." [2] In southern India at this time (Rashtrakuta dynasty) military technology included "the sword, the trident or spear, the javelin, the battleaxe, the shield, etc." [3] ; while their predecessors had "swords, shields, spears, clubs, lances, bows and arrows etc." [4]

[1]: (Unesco 2005, 233) Unesco. 2005. The Restoration of Borobudur. Unesco.

[2]: (Kumara 2007, 161) Sasiprabha Kumara. 2007. Sanskrit Across Cultures. Special Centre for Sanskrit Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University. New Delhi.

[3]: (Ramachandra Murthy 1994, 116) N S Ramachandra Murthy. 1994. Military Administration of the Rashtrakutas in the Telugu Country. B R Gopal. ed. The Rashtrakutas of Malkhed.

[4]: (Sreenivasa Murthy and Ramakrishnan 1975, 93) H V Sreenivasa Murthy and R Ramakrishnan. 1975. A History of Karnataka. Vivek Prakashan.


33 Kediri Kingdom unknown Suspected Expert -
No mention of crossbows. Old Mataram was a ’highly Indianized culture’ until it was replaced by an East Javanese one "that increasingly promoted various elements of the island’s older indigenous traditions." [1] The switch-over did not occur until the end of the Kediri Kingdom: it was the Singhasari Kingdom that witnessed ’the decline of Hindu culture and civilisation in Java and the succession of Javanese culture.’ [2] Temple reliefs from earlier periods contain murals showing clubs, swords, bows and arrows, spears, shields, armour, knives, halberds. [3] Indian military terms surviving in Javanese: "war, weapon, sword, lance, armour, shield, helmet, banner, battle, siege, fortress, soldier, officer, enemy, spy, etc." [4]

[1]: (Unesco 2005, 233) Unesco. 2005. The Restoration of Borobudur. Unesco.

[2]: (Rao 2005, 213) B V Rao. 2005. History of Asia. Sterling Publishers Pvt Ltd. New Dawn Press, Inc. Elgin.

[3]: (Draeger 1972, 23, 27) D F Draeger. 1972. Weapons and Fighting Arts of Indonesia. Tuttle Publishing.

[4]: (Kumara 2007, 161) Sasiprabha Kumara. 2007. Sanskrit Across Cultures. Special Centre for Sanskrit Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University. New Delhi.


34 Majapahit Kingdom absent Inferred Expert -
Not listed: "Weapons, notably axes, clubs, swords, and daggers, seem to have been Indian, though the curved swords are of a later type than those on the Central Javanese reliefs. The reappearance of the spear in these reliefs, while the use of the bow is confined to human heroes, suggests an increasing pressure to resume use of local types of weapons." [1]

[1]: (Powell 2002, 325) John Powell. 2002. Weapons & Warfare: Ancient and medieval weapons and warfare (to 1500). Salem Press.


35 Mataram Sultanate absent Confident Expert -
The bow and arrow would still have been used for hunting but fell out of use as a standard weapon among Javanese armies by 1590. [1]

[1]: (Charney 2004, 37)


36 Chuuk - Early Truk absent Confident Expert -
Not mentioned in the literature. This is interpreted as evidence of absence because this is a culture of low complexity for warfare technology.
37 Chuuk - Late Truk absent Confident Expert -
Not mentioned in the literature. This is interpreted as evidence of absence because this is a culture of low complexity for warfare technology.
38 Neolithic Crete absent Confident Expert -
-
39 Prepalatial Crete absent Confident Expert -
-
40 Old Palace Crete absent Confident Expert -
-
41 New Palace Crete absent Confident Expert -
-
42 Monopalatial Crete absent Confident Expert -
-
43 Postpalatial Crete absent Confident Expert -
-
44 Final Postpalatial Crete absent Confident Expert -
-
45 Geometric Crete absent Confident Expert -
-
46 Archaic Crete absent Confident Expert -
-
47 Classical Crete absent Confident Expert -
-
48 Hellenistic Crete absent Confident Expert -
-
49 Roman Empire - Principate present Confident Expert -
Each legion had 55 carroballistae bolt-shooters. [1] "The use of the hand-crossbow in Europe thus divides into two quite distinct periods, the first between about -100 and +450; the second beginning in the +10th century." [2]

[1]: (Pollard and Berry 2012, 45)

[2]: (Needham and Wang 1954, 174) Needham J and Wang L. 1954. Science and Civilisation in China. Cambridge University Press.


50 Roman Empire - Dominate present Confident Expert -
manuballistae [1] "The use of the hand-crossbow in Europe thus divides into two quite distinct periods, the first between about -100 and +450; the second beginning in the +10th century." [2]

[1]: (Pollard and Berry 2012, 221)

[2]: (Needham and Wang 1954, 174) Needham J and Wang L. 1954. Science and Civilisation in China. Cambridge University Press.


51 East Roman Empire absent Inferred Expert -
"The use of the hand-crossbow in Europe thus divides into two quite distinct periods, the first between about -100 and +450; the second beginning in the +10th century." [1]

[1]: (Needham and Wang 1954, 174) Needham J and Wang L. 1954. Science and Civilisation in China. Cambridge University Press.


52 Byzantine Empire I present Confident Expert -
There are different definitions of a crossbow. Present on one definition. [1] "The use of the hand-crossbow in Europe thus divides into two quite distinct periods, the first between about -100 and +450; the second beginning in the +10th century." [2] solenarion or tzangra crossbow which could shoot multiple iron tipped arrows (or "mice") simultaneously "was apparently brought to the east Mediterranean by the Latins in the eleventh century." [3] Presumably also after 10th century, large stationary crossbow called cheiroballistrom which could fire arrows, bolts and small stones. [3]

[1]: (Johannes Preiser-Kapeller 2015) Institute for Medieval Research, Division of Byzantine Research, Austrian Academy of Sciences)

[2]: (Needham and Wang 1954, 174) Needham J and Wang L. 1954. Science and Civilisation in China. Cambridge University Press.

[3]: (Rautman 2006, 218) Rautman, M L. 2006. Daily Life in the Byzantine Empire. Greenwood Publishing Group.


53 The Emirate of Crete present Confident Expert -
[1] [2]

[1]: Κόλλιας, Τ., Τεχνολογία και Πόλεμος στο Βυζάντιο, 2005

[2]: Mc Geer, E., Sowing the Dragons Teeth: Byzantine Warfare in the Tenth Century, Washington D.C., 1995.


54 Byzantine Empire II present Confident Expert -
There are different definitions of a crossbow. Present on one definition. [1] "Whether Byzantine soldiers also used the hand-held crossbow, some evidence for which exists from the late Roman period (as opposed to the much larger frame- or swivel-mounted weapon used as field or siege-artillery, which certainly did continue in use), seems doubtful." [2]

[1]: (Johannes Preiser-Kapeller 2015) Institute for Medieval Research, Division of Byzantine Research, Austrian Academy of Sciences)

[2]: (Haldon 2008, 477) Jeffreys E, Haldon J and Cormack R eds. 2008. The Oxford Handbook of Byzantine Studies. Oxford University Press. Oxford.


55 Byzantine Empire III present Confident Expert -
There are different definitions of a crossbow. Present on one definition. [1] "Whether Byzantine soldiers also used the hand-held crossbow, some evidence for which exists from the late Roman period (as opposed to the much larger frame- or swivel-mounted weapon used as field or siege-artillery, which certainly did continue in use), seems doubtful." [2] Preiser-Kapeller says present. [3]

[1]: (Johannes Preiser-Kapeller 2015) Institute for Medieval Research, Division of Byzantine Research, Austrian Academy of Sciences)

[2]: (Haldon 2008, 477) Jeffreys E, Haldon J and Cormack R eds. 2008. The Oxford Handbook of Byzantine Studies. Oxford University Press. Oxford.

[3]: (Preiser-Kapeller 2015) Institute for Medieval Research, Division of Byzantine Research, Austrian Academy of Sciences)


56 Cuzco - Late Formative absent Confident Expert -
Although there is no information on the warfare of this period, it is highly unlikely the resources were available for this technology.
57 Cuzco - Early Intermediate I absent Confident Expert -
Although there is no information on the warfare of this period, it is highly unlikely the resources were available for this technology.
58 Cuzco - Early Intermediate II absent Confident Expert -
Although there is no information on the warfare of this period, it is highly unlikely the resources were available for this technology.
59 Wari Empire absent Confident Expert -
This technology is not known to have been developed anywhere in the Americas before European colonization.
60 Cuzco - Late Intermediate I absent Confident Expert -
This technology is not known to have been developed anywhere in the Americas before European colonization.
61 Cuzco - Late Intermediate II absent Confident Expert -
This technology is not known to have been developed anywhere in the Americas before European colonization.
62 Inca Empire absent Confident Expert -
This technology is not known to have been developed anywhere in the Americas before European colonization.
63 Spanish Empire I present Confident Expert -
“The crossbow, too, was only of limited use of the Spanish. It could fire at a superior velocity when compared to the native bows, but that extra power was designed to penetrated metal armour on the European battlefields.” [1]

[1]: (Pemberton 2011, preview) Pemberton, John. 2011. Conquistadors: Searching for El Dorado: The Terrifying Spanish Conquest of the Aztec and Inca Empires. Canary Press eBooks Limited. https://www.zotero.org/groups/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/3SI549GS


64 Deccan - Neolithic absent Inferred Expert -
NB: The following refers to a different era and place. Known to Chinese in the first millennium BCE but Vedic literature does not describe anything like a crossbow although Pant suggests "the weapon mentioned as the nalika in ancient Sanskrit literature was a crossbow." [1] "The hand crossbow was usd on Indian battlefields probably from the third century A.D. It was mainly used as an infantry weapon and occasionally as a cavalry weapon. A Sanskrit inscription at Avanthipuram, in South India, reads: ’... Of him who has the name of Ananta impelled with speed and skillfully discharged from the machines of his bow fitted with the well stretched string....’ Obviously, the machine referred to was a hand crossbow." [1]

[1]: (Phillips 2016) Henry Pratap Phillips. 2016. The History and Chronology of Gunpowder and Gunpowder Weapons (c.1000 to 1850). Notion Press.


65 Deccan - Iron Age unknown Suspected Expert -
Known to Chinese in the first millennium BCE but Vedic literature does not describe anything like a crossbow although Pant suggests "the weapon mentioned as the nalika in ancient Sanskrit literature was a crossbow." [1] "The hand crossbow was usd on Indian battlefields probably from the third century A.D. It was mainly used as an infantry weapon and occasionally as a cavalry weapon. A Sanskrit inscription at Avanthipuram, in South India, reads: ’... Of him who has the name of Ananta impelled with speed and skillfully discharged from the machines of his bow fitted with the well stretched string....’ Obviously, the machine referred to was a hand crossbow." [1]

[1]: (Phillips 2016) Henry Pratap Phillips. 2016. The History and Chronology of Gunpowder and Gunpowder Weapons (c.1000 to 1850). Notion Press.


66 Magadha - Maurya Empire absent Confident Expert -
Mauryan soldiers only known to use self-bows & compound bows. [1] Known to Chinese in the first millennium BCE but Vedic literature does not describe anything like a crossbow although Pant suggests "the weapon mentioned as the nalika in ancient Sanskrit literature was a crossbow." [2] "The hand crossbow was usd on Indian battlefields probably from the third century A.D. It was mainly used as an infantry weapon and occasionally as a cavalry weapon. A Sanskrit inscription at Avanthipuram, in South India, reads: ’... Of him who has the name of Ananta impelled with speed and skillfully discharged from the machines of his bow fitted with the well stretched string....’ Obviously, the machine referred to was a hand crossbow." [2]

[1]: Sen, Sailendra Nath. Ancient Indian History and Civilization. New Age International, 1999. p. 388

[2]: (Phillips 2016) Henry Pratap Phillips. 2016. The History and Chronology of Gunpowder and Gunpowder Weapons (c.1000 to 1850). Notion Press.


67 Post-Mauryan Kingdoms unknown Suspected Expert -
Known to Chinese in the first millennium BCE but Vedic literature does not describe anything like a crossbow although Pant suggests "the weapon mentioned as the nalika in ancient Sanskrit literature was a crossbow." [1] "The hand crossbow was usd on Indian battlefields probably from the third century A.D. It was mainly used as an infantry weapon and occasionally as a cavalry weapon. A Sanskrit inscription at Avanthipuram, in South India, reads: ’... Of him who has the name of Ananta impelled with speed and skillfully discharged from the machines of his bow fitted with the well stretched string....’ Obviously, the machine referred to was a hand crossbow." [1]

[1]: (Phillips 2016) Henry Pratap Phillips. 2016. The History and Chronology of Gunpowder and Gunpowder Weapons (c.1000 to 1850). Notion Press.


68 Satavahana Empire unknown Suspected Expert -
Known to Chinese in the first millennium BCE but Vedic literature does not describe anything like a crossbow although Pant suggests "the weapon mentioned as the nalika in ancient Sanskrit literature was a crossbow." [1] "The hand crossbow was usd on Indian battlefields probably from the third century A.D. It was mainly used as an infantry weapon and occasionally as a cavalry weapon. A Sanskrit inscription at Avanthipuram, in South India, reads: ’... Of him who has the name of Ananta impelled with speed and skillfully discharged from the machines of his bow fitted with the well stretched string....’ Obviously, the machine referred to was a hand crossbow." [1]

[1]: (Phillips 2016) Henry Pratap Phillips. 2016. The History and Chronology of Gunpowder and Gunpowder Weapons (c.1000 to 1850). Notion Press.


69 Vakataka Kingdom present Confident Expert -
Known to Chinese in the first millennium BCE but Vedic literature does not describe anything like a crossbow although Pant suggests "the weapon mentioned as the nalika in ancient Sanskrit literature was a crossbow." [1] "The hand crossbow was usd on Indian battlefields probably from the third century A.D. It was mainly used as an infantry weapon and occasionally as a cavalry weapon. A Sanskrit inscription at Avanthipuram, in South India, reads: ’... Of him who has the name of Ananta impelled with speed and skillfully discharged from the machines of his bow fitted with the well stretched string....’ Obviously, the machine referred to was a hand crossbow." [1]

[1]: (Phillips 2016) Henry Pratap Phillips. 2016. The History and Chronology of Gunpowder and Gunpowder Weapons (c.1000 to 1850). Notion Press.


70 Kadamba Empire present Confident Expert -
Known to Chinese in the first millennium BCE but Vedic literature does not describe anything like a crossbow although Pant suggests "the weapon mentioned as the nalika in ancient Sanskrit literature was a crossbow." [1] "The hand crossbow was usd on Indian battlefields probably from the third century A.D. It was mainly used as an infantry weapon and occasionally as a cavalry weapon. A Sanskrit inscription at Avanthipuram, in South India, reads: ’... Of him who has the name of Ananta impelled with speed and skillfully discharged from the machines of his bow fitted with the well stretched string....’ Obviously, the machine referred to was a hand crossbow." [1]

[1]: (Phillips 2016) Henry Pratap Phillips. 2016. The History and Chronology of Gunpowder and Gunpowder Weapons (c.1000 to 1850). Notion Press.


71 Chalukyas of Badami present Confident Expert -
"The hand crossbow was usd on Indian battlefields probably from the third century A.D. It was mainly used as an infantry weapon and occasionally as a cavalry weapon. A Sanskrit inscription at Avanthipuram, in South India, reads: ’... Of him who has the name of Ananta impelled with speed and skillfully discharged from the machines of his bow fitted with the well stretched string....’ Obviously, the machine referred to was a hand crossbow." [1]

[1]: (Phillips 2016) Henry Pratap Phillips. 2016. The History and Chronology of Gunpowder and Gunpowder Weapons (c.1000 to 1850). Notion Press.


72 Rashtrakuta Empire present Confident Expert -
"The hand crossbow was usd on Indian battlefields probably from the third century A.D. It was mainly used as an infantry weapon and occasionally as a cavalry weapon. A Sanskrit inscription at Avanthipuram, in South India, reads: ’... Of him who has the name of Ananta impelled with speed and skillfully discharged from the machines of his bow fitted with the well stretched string....’ Obviously, the machine referred to was a hand crossbow." [1]

[1]: (Phillips 2016) Henry Pratap Phillips. 2016. The History and Chronology of Gunpowder and Gunpowder Weapons (c.1000 to 1850). Notion Press.


73 Chalukyas of Kalyani present Confident Expert -
"The hand crossbow was usd on Indian battlefields probably from the third century A.D. It was mainly used as an infantry weapon and occasionally as a cavalry weapon. A Sanskrit inscription at Avanthipuram, in South India, reads: ’... Of him who has the name of Ananta impelled with speed and skillfully discharged from the machines of his bow fitted with the well stretched string....’ Obviously, the machine referred to was a hand crossbow." [1]

[1]: (Phillips 2016) Henry Pratap Phillips. 2016. The History and Chronology of Gunpowder and Gunpowder Weapons (c.1000 to 1850). Notion Press.


74 Hoysala Kingdom present Confident Expert -
"The hand crossbow was usd on Indian battlefields probably from the third century A.D. It was mainly used as an infantry weapon and occasionally as a cavalry weapon. A Sanskrit inscription at Avanthipuram, in South India, reads: ’... Of him who has the name of Ananta impelled with speed and skillfully discharged from the machines of his bow fitted with the well stretched string....’ Obviously, the machine referred to was a hand crossbow." [1]

[1]: (Phillips 2016) Henry Pratap Phillips. 2016. The History and Chronology of Gunpowder and Gunpowder Weapons (c.1000 to 1850). Notion Press.


75 Kampili Kingdom present Confident Expert -
"The hand crossbow was usd on Indian battlefields probably from the third century A.D. It was mainly used as an infantry weapon and occasionally as a cavalry weapon. A Sanskrit inscription at Avanthipuram, in South India, reads: ’... Of him who has the name of Ananta impelled with speed and skillfully discharged from the machines of his bow fitted with the well stretched string....’ Obviously, the machine referred to was a hand crossbow." [1]

[1]: (Phillips 2016) Henry Pratap Phillips. 2016. The History and Chronology of Gunpowder and Gunpowder Weapons (c.1000 to 1850). Notion Press.


76 Vijayanagara Empire present Confident Expert -
"The hand crossbow was usd on Indian battlefields probably from the third century A.D. It was mainly used as an infantry weapon and occasionally as a cavalry weapon. A Sanskrit inscription at Avanthipuram, in South India, reads: ’... Of him who has the name of Ananta impelled with speed and skillfully discharged from the machines of his bow fitted with the well stretched string....’ Obviously, the machine referred to was a hand crossbow." [1]

[1]: (Phillips 2016) Henry Pratap Phillips. 2016. The History and Chronology of Gunpowder and Gunpowder Weapons (c.1000 to 1850). Notion Press.


77 Mughal Empire present Confident Expert -
"Babur makes many references to individual foot soldiers armed with bows. He also discusses a weapon particularly suited to the infantryman—the crossbow. Crossbows were especially valuable during sieges because they were ideal for sniping. Unlike a conventional archer, a crossbowman could fire his weapon while lying prone and behind cover. He could also keep it cocked and at full draw while carefully lining up a shot or waiting for a target to emerge. Babur describes his own experience as a sniper, firing a crossbow from the ramparts of Samarqand while that city was under siege. Before muskets became commonplace, the Ottomans used janissary infantrymen as missile troops, arming them with crossbows or heavier, more powerful versions of the cavalry bow. Babur may have employed similar large formations of foot archers. Once firearms were adopted they became the ranged weapon of choice for his infantry, but the musketeers were still supported by large numbers of foot archers." [1]

[1]: (De la Garza 2010, p. 58)


78 British Empire II present Inferred Expert -
Used by indigenous forces under British command?
79 Haudenosaunee Confederacy - Early absent Confident Expert -
-
80 Haudenosaunee Confederacy - Late absent Confident Expert -
-
81 Canaan absent Confident Expert -
-
82 Phoenician Empire absent Confident Expert -
-
83 Yisrael absent Confident Expert -
-
84 Neo-Assyrian Empire absent Confident Expert -
Not present at this time: "the hand-held crossbow was invented by the Chinese, in the fifth century BC, and probably came into the Roman world in the first century AD, where it was used for hunting." [1] The crossbow also developed after the Syracuse Greek Dionysios I invented a form of crossbow called the gastraphetes in 399 BCE. [2]

[1]: (Nicholson 2004, 99) Helen Nicholson. 2004. Medieval Warfare: Theory and Practice of War in Europe, 300-1500. PalgraveMacmillan. Basingstoke.

[2]: (Keyser and Irby-Massie 2006, 260) Paul T Keyser. Georgia Irby-Massie. Science, Medicine, And Technology. Glenn R Bugh. ed. 2006. The Cambridge Companion to the Hellenistic World. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge.


85 Achaemenid Empire absent Confident Expert -
-
86 Seleucids absent Inferred Expert -
"...the hand-held crossbow was invented by the Chinese, in the fifth century BC, and probably came into the Roman world in the first century AD, where it was used for hunting." [1] The crossbow also developed after the Syracuse Greek Dionysios I invented a form of crossbow called the gastraphetes in 399 BCE. [2] "The use of the hand-crossbow in Europe thus divides into two quite distinct periods, the first between about -100 and +450; the second beginning in the +10th century." [3] Absent in preceding and succeeding polities.

[1]: (Nicholson 2004, 99) Helen Nicholson. 2004. Medieval Warfare: Theory and Practice of War in Europe, 300-1500. PalgraveMacmillan. Basingstoke.

[2]: (Keyser and Irby-Massie 2006, 260) Paul T Keyser. Georgia Irby-Massie. Science, Medicine, And Technology. Glenn R Bugh. ed. 2006. The Cambridge Companion to the Hellenistic World. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge.

[3]: (Needham and Wang 1954, 174) Needham J and Wang L. 1954. Science and Civilisation in China. Cambridge University Press.


87 Ptolemaic Kingdom I absent Confident Expert -
-
88 Yehuda absent Confident Expert -
-
89 Early A'chik absent Confident Expert -
-
90 Late A'chik absent Confident Expert -
-
91 Akan - Pre-Ashanti unknown Suspected Expert -
This reference suggests we should not completely rule out its use: “was apparently in use among only a few of the forest peoples and seems to have been unknown in the savannah. No descriptions of this weapon have been found in the accounts of West African armament given by the early European and North African travellers, but a missionary report of a military review at Ijaye in 1861 refers to the carrying of ’great crossbows’ by some of the troops". [1]

[1]: (Smith 1989, 74) Robert Sydney Smith. 1989. Warfare & Diplomacy in Pre-colonial West Africa. Second Edition. The University of Wisconsin Press. Madison.


92 Ashanti Empire present Inferred Expert -
Present but rarely used? This polity is more ‘forest people’ and less ’savannah’: “was apparently in use among only a few of the forest peoples and seems to have been unknown in the savannah. No descriptions of this weapon have been found in the accounts of West African armament given by the early European and North African travellers, but a missionary report of a military review at Ijaye in 1861 refers to the carrying of ’great crossbows’ by some of the troops". [1]

[1]: (Smith 1989, 74) Robert Sydney Smith. 1989. Warfare & Diplomacy in Pre-colonial West Africa. Second Edition. The University of Wisconsin Press. Madison.


93 Icelandic Commonwealth present Confident Expert 1101 CE 1262 CE
[The first mentioning of a crossbow is from the late 12th century but we don’t know when they first appeared in Iceland. Around 1100 is a reasonable educated guess. If more precise information is available from Scandinavia we should go with that.] We have changed the code accordingly.
94 Icelandic Commonwealth absent Confident Expert 930 CE 1100 CE
[The first mentioning of a crossbow is from the late 12th century but we don’t know when they first appeared in Iceland. Around 1100 is a reasonable educated guess. If more precise information is available from Scandinavia we should go with that.] We have changed the code accordingly.
95 Kingdom of Norway II present Confident Expert -
The first mentioning of a crossbow is from the late 12th century.
96 Kachi Plain - Aceramic Neolithic absent Confident Expert -
Inferred as occurred later [1]

[1]: ( DeVries, Kelly. "crossbow." In The Oxford Companion to Military History. : Oxford University Press, 2001. ).


97 Kachi Plain - Ceramic Neolithic absent Confident Expert -
Inferred as occurred later [1]

[1]: ( DeVries, Kelly. "crossbow." In The Oxford Companion to Military History. : Oxford University Press, 2001. ).


98 Kachi Plain - Chalcolithic absent Confident Expert -
Inferred as occurred later [1]

[1]: ( DeVries, Kelly. "crossbow." In The Oxford Companion to Military History. : Oxford University Press, 2001. ).


99 Kachi Plain - Pre-Urban Period absent Confident Expert -
Inferred as occurred later [1]

[1]: ( DeVries, Kelly. "crossbow." In The Oxford Companion to Military History. : Oxford University Press, 2001. ).


100 Kachi Plain - Urban Period I absent Confident Expert -
No evidence of crossbows has been found from the Mature Harappan period. [1]

[1]: Cork, E. (2005) Peaceful Harappans? Reviewing the evidence for the absence of warfare in the Indus Civilisation of north-west India and Pakistan (c. 2500-1900 BC). Antiquity (79): 411-423.


101 Kachi Plain - Urban Period II absent Confident Expert -
No evidence of crossbows has been found from the Mature Harappan period. [1]

[1]: Cork, E. (2005) Peaceful Harappans? Reviewing the evidence for the absence of warfare in the Indus Civilisation of north-west India and Pakistan (c. 2500-1900 BC). Antiquity (79): 411-423.


102 Kachi Plain - Post-Urban Period absent Confident Expert -
No evidence for weapons or armor, apart from arrowheads, spearheads, daggers and axes, have been found at Pirak. [1]

[1]: Jarrige, J-F. (1979) Fouilles de Pirak. Paris : Diffusion de Boccard.


103 Kachi Plain - Proto-Historic Period unknown Suspected Expert -
-
104 Parthian Empire I unknown Suspected Expert -
-
105 Indo-Greek Kingdom absent Confident Expert -
Absent. [1] Presumably ’absent’ because it is not mentioned by this source?

[1]: Sekunda, Nick, and Nicholas Sekunda. The Ancient Greeks. Vol. 7. Osprey Publishing Company, 1986.


106 Kushan Empire present Inferred Expert -
’Kanishka’s Central Asian identity is confirmed by his appearance in a statue that was discovered near Mathura. Although the statue depicts the king wearing a long coat and boots, with a huge sword in one hand and a cross-bow like contraption in the other.’ [1] "Even with strong crossbows that shoot far, and long halberds that hit at a distance, the Hsiung-nu would not be able to ward them off. If the armors are sturdy and the weapons sharp, if the repetition crossbows shot far, and the platoons advance together, the Hsiung-nu will not be able to withstand. If specially trained troops are quick to release (their bows) and the arrows in a single stream hit the target together, then the leather outfit and wooden shields of the Hsiung-nu will not be able to protect them. If they dismount and fight on foot, when swords and halberds clash as [the soldiers] come into close quarters, the Hsiung-nu, who lack infantry training, will not be able to cope." [2]

[1]: Sanu Kainiraka. 2016. From Indus to Independence. A Trek Through Indian History. Volume II. The Classical Age. Vij Books India Pvt Ltd. New Delhi.

[2]: Nicola Di Cosmo. 2002. Ancient China and Its Enemies: The Rise of Nomadic Power in East Asian History. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge, p. 203


107 Sasanid Empire I present Inferred Expert -
"the Persian nawak, also known by its Arabic name of majra or mijrat. An early reference is the use of it by the Sassanid Persians against the Arabs in +637 when it was termed qaus al-nawakiyah (the tube bow). In the Islamic world extraordinary distances were shot with this device." [1] Present in preceding and succeeding polities.

[1]: (Needham and Wang 1954, 166) Needham J and Wang L. 1954. Science and Civilization in China. Cambridge University Press.


108 Hephthalites present Inferred Expert -
Present in previous and subsequent polities.
109 Sasanid Empire II present Confident Expert -
"the Persian nawak, also known by its Arabic name of majra or mijrat. An early reference is the use of it by the Sassanid Persians against the Arabs in +637 when it was termed qaus al-nawakiyah (the tube bow). In the Islamic world extraordinary distances were shot with this device." [1]

[1]: (Needham and Wang 1954, 166) Needham J and Wang L. 1954. Science and Civilization in China. Cambridge University Press.


110 Umayyad Caliphate absent Confident Expert -
Only composite bows mentioned in the sources. [1]

[1]: Kennedy 2001, p.177.


111 Abbasid Caliphate I present Confident Expert -
Abbasid refered to the crossbow as the qaws al-rijl, first mentioned in 881 CE. [1] Unlike Medieval Europe, archery was seen as a noble pursuit. Compound bows and Crossbows were present, as well as more esoteric weaponry such as fire arrows, were used on some occasions. Volunteers and informal levies were reported to have used slings, makeshift spears and other unconventional weapons. [2]

[1]: Nicolle,David, Medieval Siege Weapons (2): Byzantium, the Islamic World and India AD 476-1526(Osprey Publishing 2003)

[2]: Kennedy, Hugh N. The armies of the caliphs: military and society in the early Islamic state. Vol. 3 Routledge, 2001. pp. 168-182


112 Sind - Abbasid-Fatimid Period present Confident Expert -
Abbasid referred to the crossbow as the qaws al-rijl, first mentioned in 881 CE. [1]

[1]: Nicolle,David, Medieval Siege Weapons (2): Byzantium, the Islamic World and India AD 476-1526(Osprey Publishing 2003)


113 Ghur Principality present Confident Expert -
"Hasan-i Nizami, in describing the campaigns of Mu’izz al-Din and Aybeg, refers with remarkable frequency to the Muslims’ use of the crossbow (nawak) and makes great play of the armour-piecing properties of the crossbow bolt." [1]

[1]: (Jackson 2003, 16) Peter Jackson. 2003. The Delhi Sultanate: A Political and Military History. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge.


114 Delhi Sultanate present Confident Expert -
tufak or tufang [1] "From the Indian chronicles of the Late Medieval period, it could be seen that the Delhi Sultans, probably Iltutmish, adopted the crossbow for military use." [2]

[1]: Khan, Iqtidar Alam, ‘Early Use of Cannon and Musket in India: A.D. 1442-1526’, Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient, 24 (1981), 149.

[2]: (Phillips 2016) Henry Pratap Phillips. 2016. The History and Chronology of Gunpowder and Gunpowder Weapons (c.1000 to 1850). Notion Press.


115 Sind - Samma Dynasty present Confident Expert -
Abbasid refered to the crossbow as the qaws al-rijl, first mentioned in 881 CE. [1]

[1]: Nicolle,David, Medieval Siege Weapons (2): Byzantium, the Islamic World and India AD 476-1526(Osprey Publishing 2003)


116 Durrani Empire present Confident Expert -
[1]

[1]: J. Hanway, An Historical Account of the British Trade over the Caspian Sea, 4 vols., London, 1753 p. 252-4


117 Japan - Incipient Jomon absent Confident Expert -
No archaeological evidence for this. Moreover, the scholarly consensus is that the Jomon were relatively peaceful.
118 Japan - Initial Jomon absent Confident Expert -
No archaeological evidence for this. Moreover, the scholarly consensus is that the Jomon were relatively peaceful.
119 Japan - Early Jomon absent Confident Expert -
No archaeological evidence for this. Moreover, the scholarly consensus is that the Jomon were relatively peaceful.
120 Japan - Middle Jomon absent Confident Expert -
No archaeological evidence for this. Moreover, the scholarly consensus is that the Jomon were relatively peaceful.
121 Japan - Late Jomon absent Confident Expert -
No archaeological evidence for this. Moreover, the scholarly consensus is that the Jomon were relatively peaceful.
122 Japan - Final Jomon absent Confident Expert -
No archaeological evidence for this. Moreover, the scholarly consensus is that the Jomon were relatively peaceful.
123 Kansai - Yayoi Period unknown Suspected Expert -
Crossbow known and used in Japan sometime after the invention in China (from date not stated) "but neither the ritsuryo armies nor the bushi appear to have developed much interest in it, preferring to rely instead on the long bow. The ritsuryo military statutes provided for only two soldiers from each fifty-man company to be trained as oyumi operators, and no later source indicates that this ratio was ever increased. Hand-held crossbows and crossbowmen are not mentioned in the statutes at all." "The bow staves of Chinese crossbows were composites of wood, bone, sinew and glue ... But, as we have observed, the Japanese lacked supplies of animal products, and fashioned their bows from wood and bamboo instead, which required that the weapons be long. Manufacturing crossbows with composite bow staves of wood and bamboo comparable in length to those of regular bows would have resulted in a weapon too unwieldy to be practical". However some crossbows were imported. [1]

[1]: (Friday 2004, 74-76) Karl F Friday. 2005. Samurai, Warfare and the State in Early Medieval Japan. Routledge. New York.


124 Kansai - Kofun Period unknown Suspected Expert -
Crossbow known and used in Japan sometime after the invention in China (from date not stated) "but neither the ritsuryo armies nor the bushi appear to have developed much interest in it, preferring to rely instead on the long bow. The ritsuryo military statutes provided for only two soldiers from each fifty-man company to be trained as oyumi operators, and no later source indicates that this ratio was ever increased. Hand-held crossbows and crossbowmen are not mentioned in the statutes at all." "The bow staves of Chinese crossbows were composites of wood, bone, sinew and glue ... But, as we have observed, the Japanese lacked supplies of animal products, and fashioned their bows from wood and bamboo instead, which required that the weapons be long. Manufacturing crossbows with composite bow staves of wood and bamboo comparable in length to those of regular bows would have resulted in a weapon too unwieldy to be practical". However some crossbows were imported. [1]

[1]: (Friday 2004, 74-76) Karl F Friday. 2005. Samurai, Warfare and the State in Early Medieval Japan. Routledge. New York.


125 Asuka present Inferred Expert -
"As no Japanese oyumi (siege crossbow) has survived, it is impossible to know exactly what one looked like or how it was operated. Certain records make tantalising reference to them being different from Chinese varieties, although this may just be an expression of national pride. It is, however, well substantiated that, in contrast to the predominant Chinese practice, the Japanese crossbows were used for throwing stones as much as for firing arrows." [1] Crossbow known and used in Japan sometime after the invention in China (from date not stated) "but neither the ritsuryo armies nor the bushi appear to have developed much interest in it, preferring to rely instead on the long bow. The ritsuryo military statutes provided for only two soldiers from each fifty-man company to be trained as oyumi operators, and no later source indicates that this ratio was ever increased. Hand-held crossbows and crossbowmen are not mentioned in the statutes at all." "The bow staves of Chinese crossbows were composites of wood, bone, sinew and glue ... But, as we have observed, the Japanese lacked supplies of animal products, and fashioned their bows from wood and bamboo instead, which required that the weapons be long. Manufacturing crossbows with composite bow staves of wood and bamboo comparable in length to those of regular bows would have resulted in a weapon too unwieldy to be practical". However some crossbows were imported. [2]

[1]: (Turnball 2002) Turnball, S. 2002. Siege Weapons of the Far East (1): AD 612-1300. Osprey Publishing.

[2]: (Friday 2004, 74-76) Karl F Friday. 2005. Samurai, Warfare and the State in Early Medieval Japan. Routledge. New York.


126 Heian present Inferred Expert -
"As no Japanese oyumi (siege crossbow) has survived, it is impossible to know exactly what one looked like or how it was operated. Certain records make tantalising reference to them being different from Chinese varieties, although this may just be an expression of national pride. It is, however, well substantiated that, in contrast to the predominant Chinese practice, the Japanese crossbows were used for throwing stones as much as for firing arrows." [1] Crossbow known and used in Japan sometime after the invention in China (from date not stated) "but neither the ritsuryo armies nor the bushi appear to have developed much interest in it, preferring to rely instead on the long bow. The ritsuryo military statutes provided for only two soldiers from each fifty-man company to be trained as oyumi operators, and no later source indicates that this ratio was ever increased. Hand-held crossbows and crossbowmen are not mentioned in the statutes at all." "The bow staves of Chinese crossbows were composites of wood, bone, sinew and glue ... But, as we have observed, the Japanese lacked supplies of animal products, and fashioned their bows from wood and bamboo instead, which required that the weapons be long. Manufacturing crossbows with composite bow staves of wood and bamboo comparable in length to those of regular bows would have resulted in a weapon too unwieldy to be practical". However some crossbows were imported. [2]

[1]: (Turnball 2002) Turnball, S. 2002. Siege Weapons of the Far East (1): AD 612-1300. Osprey Publishing.

[2]: (Friday 2004, 74-76) Karl F Friday. 2005. Samurai, Warfare and the State in Early Medieval Japan. Routledge. New York.


127 Kamakura Shogunate present Inferred Expert -
"The bow staves of Chinese crossbows were composites of wood, bone, sinew and glue ... But, as we have observed, the Japanese lacked supplies of animal products, and fashioned their bows from wood and bamboo instead, which required that the weapons be long. Manufacturing crossbows with composite bow staves of wood and bamboo comparable in length to those of regular bows would have resulted in a weapon too unwieldy to be practical". However some crossbows were imported. [1]

[1]: (Friday 2004, 74-76) Karl F Friday. 2005. Samurai, Warfare and the State in Early Medieval Japan. Routledge. New York.


128 Ashikaga Shogunate unknown Suspected Expert -
"The bow staves of Chinese crossbows were composites of wood, bone, sinew and glue ... But, as we have observed, the Japanese lacked supplies of animal products, and fashioned their bows from wood and bamboo instead, which required that the weapons be long. Manufacturing crossbows with composite bow staves of wood and bamboo comparable in length to those of regular bows would have resulted in a weapon too unwieldy to be practical". However some crossbows were imported. [1]

[1]: (Friday 2004, 74-76) Karl F Friday. 2005. Samurai, Warfare and the State in Early Medieval Japan. Routledge. New York.


129 Warring States Japan unknown Suspected Expert -
"The bow staves of Chinese crossbows were composites of wood, bone, sinew and glue ... But, as we have observed, the Japanese lacked supplies of animal products, and fashioned their bows from wood and bamboo instead, which required that the weapons be long. Manufacturing crossbows with composite bow staves of wood and bamboo comparable in length to those of regular bows would have resulted in a weapon too unwieldy to be practical". However some crossbows were imported. [1]

[1]: (Friday 2004, 74-76) Karl F Friday. 2005. Samurai, Warfare and the State in Early Medieval Japan. Routledge. New York.


130 Japan - Azuchi-Momoyama unknown Suspected Expert -
"The bow staves of Chinese crossbows were composites of wood, bone, sinew and glue ... But, as we have observed, the Japanese lacked supplies of animal products, and fashioned their bows from wood and bamboo instead, which required that the weapons be long. Manufacturing crossbows with composite bow staves of wood and bamboo comparable in length to those of regular bows would have resulted in a weapon too unwieldy to be practical". However some crossbows were imported. [1]

[1]: (Friday 2004, 74-76) Karl F Friday. 2005. Samurai, Warfare and the State in Early Medieval Japan. Routledge. New York.


131 Tokugawa Shogunate unknown Suspected Expert -
"The bow staves of Chinese crossbows were composites of wood, bone, sinew and glue ... But, as we have observed, the Japanese lacked supplies of animal products, and fashioned their bows from wood and bamboo instead, which required that the weapons be long. Manufacturing crossbows with composite bow staves of wood and bamboo comparable in length to those of regular bows would have resulted in a weapon too unwieldy to be practical". However some crossbows were imported. [1]

[1]: (Friday 2004, 74-76) Karl F Friday. 2005. Samurai, Warfare and the State in Early Medieval Japan. Routledge. New York.


132 Iban - Pre-Brooke absent Confident Expert -
"...neither bows nor arrows are known in the islands." [1]

[1]: Low 1848, 211


133 Iban - Brooke Raj and Colonial absent Confident Expert -
(ibid.)
134 Konya Plain - Early Neolithic absent Confident Expert -
Not invented yet
135 Konya Plain - Ceramic Neolithic absent Confident Expert -
Not invented yet
136 Konya Plain - Late Neolithic absent Confident Expert -
Not invented yet
137 Konya Plain - Early Chalcolithic absent Confident Expert -
Not invented yet
138 Konya Plain - Late Chalcolithic absent Confident Expert -
Not invented yet
139 Konya Plain - Early Bronze Age absent Confident Expert -
Not invented yet
140 Middle Bronze Age in Central Anatolia absent Confident Expert -
Not invented yet
141 Hatti - Old Kingdom absent Confident Expert -
Not invented yet.
142 Konya Plain - Late Bronze Age II absent Confident Expert -
Not invented yet.
143 Hatti - New Kingdom absent Confident Expert -
Not invented yet.
144 Neo-Hittite Kingdoms absent Confident Expert -
Not invented yet
145 Phrygian Kingdom absent Confident Expert -
Not invented yet
146 Tabal Kingdoms absent Confident Expert -
Not invented yet
147 Kingdom of Lydia absent Inferred Expert -
Not at this time: "the hand-held crossbow was invented by the Chinese, in the fifth century BC, and probably came into the Roman world in the first century AD, where it was used for hunting." [1] The crossbow also developed after the Syracuse Greek Dionysios I invented a form of crossbow called the gastraphetes in 399 BCE. [2]

[1]: (Nicholson 2004, 99) Helen Nicholson. 2004. Medieval Warfare: Theory and Practice of War in Europe, 300-1500. PalgraveMacmillan. Basingstoke.

[2]: (Keyser and Irby-Massie 2006, 260) Paul T Keyser. Georgia Irby-Massie. Science, Medicine, And Technology. Glenn R Bugh. ed. 2006. The Cambridge Companion to the Hellenistic World. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge.


148 Lysimachus Kingdom absent Inferred Expert -
Not at this time: "the hand-held crossbow was invented by the Chinese, in the fifth century BC, and probably came into the Roman world in the first century AD, where it was used for hunting." [1] The crossbow also developed after the Syracuse Greek Dionysios I invented a form of crossbow called the gastraphetes in 399 BCE. [2]

[1]: (Nicholson 2004, 99) Helen Nicholson. 2004. Medieval Warfare: Theory and Practice of War in Europe, 300-1500. PalgraveMacmillan. Basingstoke.

[2]: (Keyser and Irby-Massie 2006, 260) Paul T Keyser. Georgia Irby-Massie. Science, Medicine, And Technology. Glenn R Bugh. ed. 2006. The Cambridge Companion to the Hellenistic World. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge.


149 Late Cappadocia unknown Suspected Expert -
Likely in some form?: "the hand-held crossbow was invented by the Chinese, in the fifth century BC, and probably came into the Roman world in the first century AD, where it was used for hunting." [1] The crossbow also developed after the Syracuse Greek Dionysios I invented a form of crossbow called the gastraphetes in 399 BCE. [2]

[1]: (Nicholson 2004, 99) Helen Nicholson. 2004. Medieval Warfare: Theory and Practice of War in Europe, 300-1500. PalgraveMacmillan. Basingstoke.

[2]: (Keyser and Irby-Massie 2006, 260) Paul T Keyser. Georgia Irby-Massie. Science, Medicine, And Technology. Glenn R Bugh. ed. 2006. The Cambridge Companion to the Hellenistic World. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge.


150 Rum Sultanate present Inferred Expert -
No data. Present for Saladin’s Ayybid Sultanate in Syria and Egypt c1200 CE [1] and also for our expert-checked Fatimid Caliphate which covers 1100 CE. Could be inferred present for this Islamic polity.

[1]: (Nicolle 2011) Nicolle, D. 2011. Saladin. Osprey Publishing.


151 Ilkhanate present Confident Expert -
“Large framed mounted crossbows" used in sieges. Crossbowmen may have come into Iran in this period through the Mongols. [1]

[1]: David Nicolle, Arms and Armour of the Crusading Era, 1050-1350: Islam, Eastern Europe and Asia, rev. and updated ed (London : Mechanicsburg, Pa: Greenhill Books ; Stackpole Books, 1999). P.221, p.296 .


152 Ottoman Emirate present Confident Expert -
Early Janissaries used weapons such as bows, slings, crossbows and javelins. [1]

[1]: (Nicolle 1983, 10)


153 Ottoman Empire I present Confident Expert -
Early Janissaries used weapons such as bows, slings, crossbows and javelins. [1] At some stage crossbow came into use, mainly for use in fortresses. [2] Janissaries, founded in second half of the 14th century, were less numerous. [3]

[1]: (Nicolle 1983, 10)

[2]: (Imber 2002, 267) Imber, Colin. 2002. The Ottoman Empire, 1300-1650. The Structure of Power. PalgraveMacmillan. Basingstoke.

[3]: (Imber 2002, 257) Imber, Colin. 2002. The Ottoman Empire, 1300-1650. The Structure of Power. PalgraveMacmillan. Basingstoke.


154 Ottoman Empire II present Confident Expert -
Early Janissaries used weapons such as bows, slings, crossbows and javelins. "not until the end of the 16th century did the majority have tüfek matchlocks." [1] Magaharibad, north African marines, used a crossbow. [2] At some stage crossbow came into use, mainly for use in fortresses. [3] Janissaries, founded in second half of the 14th century, were less numerous. [4]

[1]: (Nicolle 1983, 10)

[2]: (Nicolle 1983, 36)

[3]: (Imber 2002, 267) Imber, Colin. 2002. The Ottoman Empire, 1300-1650. The Structure of Power. PalgraveMacmillan. Basingstoke.

[4]: (Imber 2002, 257) Imber, Colin. 2002. The Ottoman Empire, 1300-1650. The Structure of Power. PalgraveMacmillan. Basingstoke.


155 Ottoman Empire III absent Inferred Expert -
Early Janissaries used weapons such as bows, slings, crossbows and javelins. "not until the end of the 16th century did the majority have tufek matchlocks." [1]

[1]: (Nicolle 1983, 10)


156 Latium - Copper Age absent Confident Expert -
-
157 Latium - Bronze Age absent Confident Expert -
-
158 Latium - Iron Age absent Confident Expert -
-
159 Roman Kingdom absent Confident Expert -
Not at this time: "the hand-held crossbow was invented by the Chinese, in the fifth century BC, and probably came into the Roman world in the first century AD, where it was used for hunting." [1] The crossbow also developed after the Syracuse Greek Dionysios I invented a form of crossbow called the gastraphetes in 399 BCE. [2]

[1]: (Nicholson 2004, 99) Helen Nicholson. 2004. Medieval Warfare: Theory and Practice of War in Europe, 300-1500. PalgraveMacmillan. Basingstoke.

[2]: (Keyser and Irby-Massie 2006, 260) Paul T Keyser. Georgia Irby-Massie. Science, Medicine, And Technology. Glenn R Bugh. ed. 2006. The Cambridge Companion to the Hellenistic World. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge.


160 Early Roman Republic absent Confident Expert -
Not at this time: "the hand-held crossbow was invented by the Chinese, in the fifth century BC, and probably came into the Roman world in the first century AD, where it was used for hunting." [1] The crossbow also developed after the Syracuse Greek Dionysios I invented a form of crossbow called the gastraphetes in 399 BCE. [2]

[1]: (Nicholson 2004, 99) Helen Nicholson. 2004. Medieval Warfare: Theory and Practice of War in Europe, 300-1500. PalgraveMacmillan. Basingstoke.

[2]: (Keyser and Irby-Massie 2006, 260) Paul T Keyser. Georgia Irby-Massie. Science, Medicine, And Technology. Glenn R Bugh. ed. 2006. The Cambridge Companion to the Hellenistic World. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge.


161 Middle Roman Republic absent Confident Expert -
Not at this time: "the hand-held crossbow was invented by the Chinese, in the fifth century BC, and probably came into the Roman world in the first century AD, where it was used for hunting." [1] The crossbow also developed after the Syracuse Greek Dionysios I invented a form of crossbow called the gastraphetes in 399 BCE. [2]

[1]: (Nicholson 2004, 99) Helen Nicholson. 2004. Medieval Warfare: Theory and Practice of War in Europe, 300-1500. PalgraveMacmillan. Basingstoke.

[2]: (Keyser and Irby-Massie 2006, 260) Paul T Keyser. Georgia Irby-Massie. Science, Medicine, And Technology. Glenn R Bugh. ed. 2006. The Cambridge Companion to the Hellenistic World. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge.


162 Late Roman Republic absent Confident Expert -
-
163 Western Roman Empire - Late Antiquity present Confident Expert -
"The use of the hand-crossbow in Europe thus divides into two quite distinct periods, the first between about -100 and +450; the second beginning in the +10th century." [1]

[1]: (Needham and Wang 1954, 174) Needham J and Wang L. 1954. Science and Civilisation in China. Cambridge University Press.


164 Ostrogothic Kingdom absent Confident Expert -
-
165 Exarchate of Ravenna unknown Confident Expert -
Certainly being used in the 15th CE but it is perhaps too long a time gap to infer presence at this time: “In the Papal States Spoleto had developed a considerable arms industry and supplied crossbow bolts, shields and lances to the army.” [1]

[1]: Michael Mallett (2009) Mercenaries and their Masters: Warfare in Renaissance Italy. Pen & Sword Military. Barnsley.


166 Republic of St Peter I unknown Confident Expert -
Certainly being used in the 15th CE but it is perhaps too long a time gap to infer presence at this time: “In the Papal States Spoleto had developed a considerable arms industry and supplied crossbow bolts, shields and lances to the army.” [1]

[1]: Michael Mallett (2009) Mercenaries and their Masters: Warfare in Renaissance Italy. Pen & Sword Military. Barnsley.


167 Rome - Republic of St Peter II present Inferred Expert -
The Papal States often used foreign mercenaries who may have had access to the crossbow. Certainly being used in the 15th CE (inferred for this time?): “In the Papal States Spoleto had developed a considerable arms industry and supplied crossbow bolts, shields and lances to the army.” [1] Waley writes of composite bow and crossbowmen during this period. [2]

[1]: Michael Mallett (2009) Mercenaries and their Masters: Warfare in Renaissance Italy. Pen & Sword Military. Barnsley.

[2]: Waley, D.P (1957) Papal Armies of the Thirteen Century, Vol. 72, No. 282, The English Historical Review, Jan pp 1-30.


168 Papal States - High Medieval Period present Confident Expert -
Crossbowmen. [1] “In the Papal States Spoleto had developed a considerable arms industry and supplied crossbow bolts, shields and lances to the army.” [2]

[1]: (Waley 1957)

[2]: Michael Mallett (2009) Mercenaries and their Masters: Warfare in Renaissance Italy. Pen & Sword Military. Barnsley.


169 Papal States - Renaissance Period present Inferred Expert -
The Papal States often used foreign mercenaries who may have had access to the crossbow. Certainly being used in the 15th CE (inferred for this time?): “In the Papal States Spoleto had developed a considerable arms industry and supplied crossbow bolts, shields and lances to the army.” [1]

[1]: Michael Mallett (2009) Mercenaries and their Masters: Warfare in Renaissance Italy. Pen & Sword Military. Barnsley.


170 Papal States - Early Modern Period I present Inferred Expert -
The Papal States often used foreign mercenaries who may have had access to the crossbow. Certainly being used in the 15th CE (inferred for this time?): “In the Papal States Spoleto had developed a considerable arms industry and supplied crossbow bolts, shields and lances to the army.” [1]

[1]: Michael Mallett (2009) Mercenaries and their Masters: Warfare in Renaissance Italy. Pen & Sword Military. Barnsley.


171 Papal States - Early Modern Period II present Confident Uncertain Expert -
Certainly being used in the 15th CE but maybe hand-guns had supplanted them in use by this time: “In the Papal States Spoleto had developed a considerable arms industry and supplied crossbow bolts, shields and lances to the army.” [1]

[1]: Michael Mallett (2009) Mercenaries and their Masters: Warfare in Renaissance Italy. Pen & Sword Military. Barnsley.


172 Papal States - Early Modern Period II absent Confident Uncertain Expert -
Certainly being used in the 15th CE but maybe hand-guns had supplanted them in use by this time: “In the Papal States Spoleto had developed a considerable arms industry and supplied crossbow bolts, shields and lances to the army.” [1]

[1]: Michael Mallett (2009) Mercenaries and their Masters: Warfare in Renaissance Italy. Pen & Sword Military. Barnsley.


173 Sakha - Early absent Confident Expert -
not mentioned in any of the sources that deal with weapons and armor
174 Sakha - Late absent Confident Expert -
not mentioned in any of the sources that deal with weapons and armor
175 Shuar - Colonial absent Confident Expert -
the sources mention machetes, rifles and arrows but to the best of our knowledge no other weapons were used at the time
176 Shuar - Ecuadorian absent Confident Expert -
the sources mention machetes, rifles and arrows but to the best of our knowledge no other weapons were used at the time
177 Egypt - New Kingdom Thutmosid Period absent Confident Expert -
not yet developed
178 Egypt - New Kingdom Ramesside Period absent Confident Expert -
not yet developed
179 Egypt - Thebes-Libyan Period absent Inferred Expert -
not yet developed
180 Egypt - Saite Period absent Confident Expert -
"the hand-held crossbow was invented by the Chinese, in the fifth century BC, and probably came into the Roman world in the first century AD, where it was used for hunting." [1] The crossbow also developed after the Syracuse Greek Dionysios I invented a form of crossbow called the gastraphetes in 399 BCE. [2]

[1]: (Nicholson 2004, 99) Helen Nicholson. 2004. Medieval Warfare: Theory and Practice of War in Europe, 300-1500. PalgraveMacmillan. Basingstoke.

[2]: (Keyser and Irby-Massie 2006, 260) Paul T Keyser. Georgia Irby-Massie. Science, Medicine, And Technology. Glenn R Bugh. ed. 2006. The Cambridge Companion to the Hellenistic World. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge.


181 Egypt - Inter-Occupation Period absent Confident Expert -
"the hand-held crossbow was invented by the Chinese, in the fifth century BC, and probably came into the Roman world in the first century AD, where it was used for hunting." [1] The crossbow also developed after the Syracuse Greek Dionysios I invented a form of crossbow called the gastraphetes in 399 BCE. [2]

[1]: (Nicholson 2004, 99) Helen Nicholson. 2004. Medieval Warfare: Theory and Practice of War in Europe, 300-1500. PalgraveMacmillan. Basingstoke.

[2]: (Keyser and Irby-Massie 2006, 260) Paul T Keyser. Georgia Irby-Massie. Science, Medicine, And Technology. Glenn R Bugh. ed. 2006. The Cambridge Companion to the Hellenistic World. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge.


182 Ptolemaic Kingdom II absent Confident Expert -
-
183 Middle Wagadu Empire unknown Suspected Expert -
-
184 Fatimid Caliphate present Confident Expert -
At late 11th Century, an elite unit of c500 marines used light hand-held crossbows. [1]

[1]: (Nicolle 1996, 88)


185 Later Wagadu Empire unknown Suspected Expert -
-
186 Mali Empire unknown Suspected Expert -
-
187 Egypt - Mamluk Sultanate I present Confident Expert -
Mounted crossbowmen. [1]

[1]: (Nicolle 1996,135-181)


188 Egypt - Mamluk Sultanate II present Confident Expert -
Mounted crossbowmen. [1]

[1]: (Nicolle 1996,135-181)


189 Egypt - Mamluk Sultanate III present Confident Expert -
Mounted crossbowmen. [1]

[1]: (Nicolle 1996,135-181)


190 Songhai Empire - Askiya Dynasty unknown Suspected Expert -
-
191 Late Shang absent Inferred Expert -
Considered warring States period technology. [1]

[1]: (Liang 2005)


192 Western Zhou absent Confident Expert -
"Mounted warfare in Chinese armies began in the sixth century BCE, while the increasing projectile power of composite bows and especially the crossbow from the fifth century BCE led to the rise of heavy armour." [1]

[1]: (Günergun and Raina 2010, 65) Günergun, Feza. Raina, Dhruv. 2010. Science between Europe and Asia: Historical Studies on the Transmission, Adoption and Adaptation of Knowledge. Springer Science & Business Media


193 Jin absent Confident Expert -
"Crossbows first appeared in Chu in the early fifth century BC and were in general use in the fourth century BC." [1] From 340 BCE. [2]

[1]: (Tin-bor Hui 2005, n139 95) Tin-bor Hui, Victoria. 2005. War and State Formation in Ancient China and Early Modern Europe. Cambridge University Press.

[2]: (Meyer 1994, 132) Milton Walter Meyer. 1994. China: A Concise History. Second Edition, Revised. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. Lanham.


194 Western Han Empire present Confident Expert -
"The crossbow is the most frequently mentioned weapon in the sources, and was often given credit for the Han army’s superiority over its enemies." [1]

[1]: (Peers 1995, 16)


195 Eastern Han Empire present Confident Expert -
"The crossbow is the most frequently mentioned weapon in the sources, and was often given credit for the Han army’s superiority over its enemies." [1]

[1]: (Peers 1995, 16)


196 Western Jin present Confident Expert -
by mid-4th century BCE crossbows used in large numbers on battlefield [1]
cavalry from 4th century BCE [1]

[1]: (Graff 2002, 22)


197 Northern Wei present Confident Expert -
by mid-4th century BCE crossbows used in large numbers on battlefield [1]
cavalry from 4th century BCE [1]

[1]: (Graff 2002, 22)


198 Sui Dynasty present Confident Expert -
"Infantry in the 6th and 7th centuries was divided into pu-pin, or marching infantry, armed with spears, and pu-she, or archers. The crossbow, the principal weapon of Han infantry, appears to have been less common in this period than the composite bow, although there are hints that it may have retained its importance in the south." [1]

[1]: (Peers 2002, 17)


199 Tang Dynasty I present Confident Expert -
"Infantry in the 6th and 7th centuries was divided into pu-pin, or marching infantry, armed with spears, and pu-she, or archers. The crossbow, the principal weapon of Han infantry, appears to have been less common in this period than the composite bow, although there are hints that it may have retained its importance in the south." [1]

[1]: (Peers 2002, 17)


200 Nara Kingdom present Confident Expert -
crossbows long used in China were used up to the 11th CE century in Japan. [1] "As no Japanese oyumi (siege crossbow) has survived, it is impossible to know exactly what one looked like or how it was operated. Certain records make tantalising reference to them being different from Chinese varieties, although this may just be an expression of national pride. It is, however, well substantiated that, in contrast to the predominant Chinese practice, the Japanese crossbows were used for throwing stones as much as for firing arrows." [2]

[1]: Friday, Karl F. 2004. Samurai, Warfare and the State in Early Medieval Japan. Psychology Press.p.76.

[2]: (Turnball 2002) Turnball, S. 2002. Siege Weapons of the Far East (1): AD 612-1300. Osprey Publishing.


201 Tang Dynasty II present Confident Expert -
"An 11th-century writer remarks that the T’ang had so little confidence in the crossbow that they equipped its users with the halberds for self-defence." [1]

[1]: (Peers 2002, 17)


202 Jin Dynasty present Confident Expert -
Jin relied on Chinese infantry who fought with swords and crossbow [1]

[1]: (Peers 2013, 217)


203 Mongol Empire present Confident Expert -
“Large framed mounted crossbows" used in sieges. [1]

[1]: David Nicolle, Arms and Armour of the Crusading Era, 1050-1350: Islam, Eastern Europe and Asia, rev. and updated ed (London : Mechanicsburg, Pa: Greenhill Books ; Stackpole Books, 1999). p.296 .


204 Great Yuan unknown Suspected Expert -
-
205 Great Ming present Confident Expert -
In the late fourteenth century, soldiers in southwestern Yunnan were still primarily armed with spears and crossbows, while firearms were being used primarily by the Ming troops which contributed to their military success. The Ming troops frequently employed fire arrows and ’rocket-arrows’ in addition to the stone projectiles launched from their firearms against Maw Chan soldiers and elephant cavalry. [1]

[1]: (Laichen, 2008, p.499-500)


206 Xiongnu Imperial Confederation present Confident Expert -
Mentioned as one of the tactical advantages that the Han had over the Xiongnu. [1] However, the Xiongnu were said to have inferior crossbows:" "Why does it take five Xiongnu to match one Han soldier? It is because their sword blades are dull and their crossbows worthless. 48" Skill with a crossbow was at such a premium that it could even lead to offices in the court." [2]

[1]: (Lewis 2000, 47)

[2]: (Lewis 2000, 45)


207 Late Xiongnu present Confident Expert -
Mentioned as one of the tactical advantages that the Han had over the Xiongnu. [1] However, the Xiongnu were said to have inferior crossbows:" "Why does it take five Xiongnu to match one Han soldier? It is because their sword blades are dull and their crossbows worthless. 48" Skill with a crossbow was at such a premium that it could even lead to offices in the court." [2]

[1]: (Lewis 2000, 47)

[2]: (Lewis 2000, 45)


208 Rouran Khaganate unknown Suspected Expert -
-
209 Kidarite Kingdom present Inferred Expert -
Present in previous and subsequent polities.
210 Western Turk Khaganate present Inferred Expert -
Present in preceding and succeeding polities.
211 Eastern Turk Khaganate unknown Suspected Expert -
-
212 Uigur Khaganate unknown Suspected Expert -
-
213 Samanid Empire present Inferred Expert -
"In the seventh century the Arab Caliphate overran the Sāssānian Empire and, as far as we can tell, no great changes took place in the Persian equipment then or for a long time afterwards." [1]

[1]: (Robinson 1967) Robinson, H. Russell. 1967. Oriental Armour. Walker and Co. New York.


214 Khitan I present Confident Expert -
"There were also misgivings about the troops’ training, particularly the Chinese units. In 1035 the armies were enjoined to supervise the regular training of their catapulteers, crossbowmen, archers, and swordsmen. In 1046 the emperor watched the exercises of Chinese troops while they practiced using catapults and bows, but serious concern about the inferior skills of the Chinese armies’ catapulteers and crossbowmen continued through the next reign. These were skills that were irrelevant to the Khitans’ traditional mobile cavalry warfare but essential to their warfare with their sedentary Chinese and Korean neighbors." [1]

[1]: (Twitchett, D.C. and K. Tietze. 1994. The Liao. In Franke, H. and D.C. Twitchett (eds) The Cambridge History of China Volume 6: Alien Regimes and Border States, 907-1368 pp. 43-153. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. P. 120)


215 Kara-Khanids unknown Suspected Expert -
-
216 Chagatai Khanate unknown Suspected Expert -
-
217 Early Merovingian absent Confident Expert -
"The crossbow, or arbaleste, was reintroduced into France ca. 950 and was commonly used thereafter to ca. 1550, primarily by special infantry units placed from ca. 1200 to 1534 under the overall authority of a grand master of the crossbowmen (arbalest[r]iers)." [1]

[1]: (Boulton in Kibler et al 1995, 127)


218 Middle Merovingian absent Confident Expert -
"The crossbow, or arbaleste, was reintroduced into France ca. 950 and was commonly used thereafter to ca. 1550, primarily by special infantry units placed from ca. 1200 to 1534 under the overall authority of a grand master of the crossbowmen (arbalest[r]iers)." [1]

[1]: (Boulton in Kibler et al 1995, 127)


219 Carolingian Empire I present Confident Expert -
David Baker says present. [1]

[1]: David Baker. Personal communication to Seshat Databank.


220 Carolingian Empire II present Confident Expert -
David Baker says present. [1]

[1]: David Baker. Personal communication to Seshat Databank.


221 French Kingdom - Early Valois present Confident Expert -
Crossbow armed infantry gained in importance during the 13th century. [1]

[1]: (Nicolle 1991, 11) David Nicolle. 1991. French Medieval Armies 1000-1300. Osprey Publishing Ltd. London.


222 Neo-Babylonian Empire absent Inferred Expert -
Absent in previous and subsequent polities
223 Greco-Bactrian Kingdom absent Confident Expert -
[1]

[1]: Sekunda, Nick, and Nicholas Sekunda. The Ancient Greeks. Vol. 7. Osprey Publishing Company, 1986.


224 Yemen Ziyad Dynasty present Inferred Expert -
Code inferred from Abbasid Caliphate [1] which occupied Yemen between 751-868 CE.

[1]: Hugh N Kennedy. 2001. The Armies of the Caliphs: Military and Society in the Early Islamic State. Routledge. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/SGPPFNAZ/q/kennedy


225 Egypt - Tulunid-Ikhshidid Period present Inferred Expert -
Present for Abbasid Caliphate: Abbasid refered to the crossbow as the qaws al-rijl, first mentioned in 881 CE. [1]

[1]: Nicolle,David, Medieval Siege Weapons (2): Byzantium, the Islamic World and India AD 476-1526(Osprey Publishing 2003)


226 Buyid Confederation present Inferred Expert -
Abbasids had crossbows. [1]

[1]: Kennedy, Hugh N. The armies of the caliphs: military and society in the early Islamic state. Vol. 3 Routledge, 2001. pp. 168-182


227 Seljuk Sultanate present Inferred Expert -
"The dearth of illustrative material for the greater part of six centuries is largely due to the wanton destruction caused by two savage invasions from the east and only such finds as the stucco figures from Kara-shar [Central Asian warrior, eighth to tenth century] tell us that in all this period there had been little change." [1] "In the seventh century the Arab Caliphate overran the Sāssānian Empire and, as far as we can tell, no great changes took place in the Persian equipment then or for a long time afterwards." [1]

[1]: (Robinson 1967) Robinson, H. Russell. 1967. Oriental Armour. Walker and Co. New York.


228 Yemen - Era of Warlords present Inferred Expert -
Code inferred from Abbasid Caliphate [1] which occupied Yemen between 751-868 CE.

[1]: Hugh N Kennedy. 2001. The Armies of the Caliphs: Military and Society in the Early Islamic State. Routledge. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/SGPPFNAZ/q/kennedy


229 Ayyubid Sultanate present Confident Expert -
"A crossbow attached to the interior of a shield was one of the bizarre weapons described and illustrated in a book about military equipment written for Saladin by al-Tarusi." [1]

[1]: (Nicolle 2011) Nicolle, D. 2011. Saladin. Osprey Publishing.


230 Rasulid Dynasty present Inferred Expert -
Code inferred from Ayyubid Sultanate [1] which occupied Yemen between 1175-1128 CE.

[1]: Nicolle, D. 2011. Saladin. Osprey Publishing.


231 Timurid Empire present Inferred Expert -
"interesting possibility of crossbows being used in defence of fortified positions at this time." [1]

[1]: (Nicolle 1990, 40) Nicolle, David. 1990. The Age of Tamerlane. Osprey Publishing.


232 Yemen - Tahirid Dynasty present Inferred Expert -
Code inferred from Ayyubid Sultanate [1] which occupied Yemen between 1175-1128 CE.

[1]: Nicolle, D. 2011. Saladin. Osprey Publishing.


233 Safavid Empire present Confident Expert -
Safavid diplomat carrying a "victory letter" presented the Mamluk Sultan an ornamental copy of the Quran, a prayer carpet, a kiswah for the Kabah in Mecca, and a crossbow. [1]

[1]: (Mitchell 2009, 37) Mitchell, Colin P. 2009. Practice of Politics in Safavid Iran, The: Power, Religion and Rhetoric. I.B. Tauris. London.


234 Mahajanapada era absent Confident Expert -
Introduced later. [1]

[1]: DeVries, Kelly. "crossbow." In The Oxford Companion to Military History. : Oxford University Press, 2001.


235 Gupta Empire present Inferred Expert -
"The hand crossbow was used on Indian battlefields probably from the third century A.D. It was mainly used as an infantry weapon and occasionally as a cavalry weapon. A Sanskrit inscription at Avanthipuram, in South India, reads: ’... Of him who has the name of Ananta impelled with speed and skillfully discharged from the machines of his bow fitted with the well stretched string....’ Obviously, the machine referred to was a hand crossbow." [1] Reads like a general reference that also applies to northern India.

[1]: (Phillips 2016) Henry Pratap Phillips. 2016. The History and Chronology of Gunpowder and Gunpowder Weapons (c.1000 to 1850). Notion Press.


236 Magadha present Inferred Expert -
"The hand crossbow was used on Indian battlefields probably from the third century A.D. It was mainly used as an infantry weapon and occasionally as a cavalry weapon. A Sanskrit inscription at Avanthipuram, in South India, reads: ’... Of him who has the name of Ananta impelled with speed and skillfully discharged from the machines of his bow fitted with the well stretched string....’ Obviously, the machine referred to was a hand crossbow." [1] Reads like a general reference that also applies to northern India.

[1]: (Phillips 2016) Henry Pratap Phillips. 2016. The History and Chronology of Gunpowder and Gunpowder Weapons (c.1000 to 1850). Notion Press.


237 Gahadavala Dynasty present Inferred Expert -
"The hand crossbow was used on Indian battlefields probably from the third century A.D. It was mainly used as an infantry weapon and occasionally as a cavalry weapon. A Sanskrit inscription at Avanthipuram, in South India, reads: ’... Of him who has the name of Ananta impelled with speed and skillfully discharged from the machines of his bow fitted with the well stretched string....’ Obviously, the machine referred to was a hand crossbow." [1] Reads like a general reference that also applies to northern India.

[1]: (Phillips 2016) Henry Pratap Phillips. 2016. The History and Chronology of Gunpowder and Gunpowder Weapons (c.1000 to 1850). Notion Press.


238 Kingdom of Ayodhya absent Confident Expert -
"The hand crossbow was used on Indian battlefields probably from the third century A.D. It was mainly used as an infantry weapon and occasionally as a cavalry weapon. A Sanskrit inscription at Avanthipuram, in South India, reads: ’... Of him who has the name of Ananta impelled with speed and skillfully discharged from the machines of his bow fitted with the well stretched string....’ Obviously, the machine referred to was a hand crossbow." [1]

[1]: (Phillips 2016) Henry Pratap Phillips. 2016. The History and Chronology of Gunpowder and Gunpowder Weapons (c.1000 to 1850). Notion Press.


239 Gurjar-Pratihara Dynasty present Inferred Expert -
"The hand crossbow was used on Indian battlefields probably from the third century A.D. It was mainly used as an infantry weapon and occasionally as a cavalry weapon. A Sanskrit inscription at Avanthipuram, in South India, reads: ’... Of him who has the name of Ananta impelled with speed and skillfully discharged from the machines of his bow fitted with the well stretched string....’ Obviously, the machine referred to was a hand crossbow." [1] Reads like a general reference that also applies to northern India.

[1]: (Phillips 2016) Henry Pratap Phillips. 2016. The History and Chronology of Gunpowder and Gunpowder Weapons (c.1000 to 1850). Notion Press.


240 Yangshao absent Confident Expert -
Technology first seen in Warring States period [1]

[1]: (Liang 2005)


241 Longshan absent Confident Expert -
Technology first seen in Warring States period [1]

[1]: (Liang 2005)


242 Erlitou absent Confident Expert -
Warring States period technology [1]

[1]: (Liang 2005)


243 Erligang absent Confident Expert -
Warring States period technology [1]

[1]: (Liang 2005)


244 Early Wei Dynasty present Confident Expert -
"Crossbows first appeared in Chu in the early fifth century BC and were in general use in the fourth century BC." [1] "By 340 B.C., they had adopted the crossbow..." [2]

[1]: (Tin-bor Hui 2005, n139 95) Tin-bor Hui, Victoria. 2005. War and State Formation in Ancient China and Early Modern Europe. Cambridge University Press.

[2]: (Meyer 1994, 132) Milton Walter Meyer. 1994. China: A Concise History. Second Edition, Revised. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. Lanham.


245 Northern Song present Confident Expert -
"The most important weapon, however, was the crossbow." [1] Crew-served crossbow and hand crossbow. [2]

[1]: (Peers 2002, 35)

[2]: (Lorge 2011, 28)


246 Jenne-jeno I absent Confident Expert -
-
247 Jenne-jeno II absent Confident Expert -
-
248 Jenne-jeno III absent Confident Expert -
-
249 Jenne-jeno IV absent Confident Expert -
-
250 Saadi Sultanate present Inferred Expert -
Reference for 1456 CE siege of Ceuta (Marinid Sultanate): "Crossbowmen served with the crews to fire on the walls, forcing the Portuguese to shelter their own gun emplacements so that they could not target Moroccan positions as well." [1]

[1]: Sandra Alvarez. February 23, 2014. Warfare and Firearms in Fifteenth Century Morocco, 1400-1492. Weston F. Cook Jr. War and Society: v.11 (1993). Site accessed 24 October 2018: http://deremilitari.org/2014/02/warfare-and-firearms-in-fifteenth-century-morocco-1400-1492/


251 Segou Kingdom unknown Suspected Expert -
Present but rarely used? Crossbow "was apparently in use among only a few of the forest peoples and seems to have been unknown in the savannah. No descriptions of this weapon have been found in the accounts of West African armament given by the early European and North African travellers, but a missionary report of a military review at Ijaye in 1861 refers to the carrying of ’great crossbows’ by some of the troops". [1]

[1]: (Smith 1989, 74) Robert Sydney Smith. 1989. Warfare & Diplomacy in Pre-colonial West Africa. Second Edition. The University of Wisconsin Press. Madison.


252 Bamana kingdom present Inferred Expert -
Present but rarely used? Crossbow "was apparently in use among only a few of the forest peoples and seems to have been unknown in the savannah. No descriptions of this weapon have been found in the accounts of West African armament given by the early European and North African travellers, but a missionary report of a military review at Ijaye in 1861 refers to the carrying of ’great crossbows’ by some of the troops". [1]

[1]: (Smith 1989, 74) Robert Sydney Smith. 1989. Warfare & Diplomacy in Pre-colonial West Africa. Second Edition. The University of Wisconsin Press. Madison.


253 Neguanje absent Confident Expert -
No discussion in literature of this. In this case it is evidence of absence since this is in line with logical expectations for this late-complexity society.
254 Tairona absent Confident Expert -
No discussion in literature of this. In this case it is evidence of absence since this is in line with logical expectations for this late-complexity society.
255 Early Xiongnu unknown Suspected Expert -
-
256 Xianbei Confederation absent Inferred Expert -
"When the stirrup, which provides a firm seat in the saddle for combat, was combined with the type of heavy armor for both man and horse that had developed in the post-Han era, and the complete ensemble became available to Xianbei warriors (armor and the crossbow having previously provided the Chinese with a degree of comparative military advantage over nomadic light cavalry), it became possible to field a truly formidable Xianbei cavalry force.1 The mere sight of over a thousand colorfully caparisoned Xianbei cavalry deployed in defense of the Southern dynasty capital in 410, for example, reportedly intimidated a powerful southern rebel army.103 Mounted Xianbei (or Xianbei- ized) warriors were able to dominate north China almost continuously from the fourth through the sixth centuries." [1] The introduction of crossbows seems to be a much later development.

[1]: (Holcombe 2013, 21-22)


257 Shiwei unknown Suspected Expert -
-
258 Second Turk Khaganate unknown Suspected Expert -
-
259 Early Mongols absent Confident Expert -
-
260 Late Mongols present Inferred Expert -
Used the Mongolian Empire, and referenced in the 1709 Khalkhan law code: "The seven original articles cover supply of provisions for the “Gegeen” (the Jibzundamba Khutugtu), government messengers and nobility; premedi- tated murder; theft; marriage engagements, bridewealth, and dowries; fugitives and intruders; the prerogatives of the Gegeen; limitations on killing animals; death, bodily harm, or loss caused by noblemen’s “jokes”; lies; assaults; lost cattle or other things; injuries from mad dogs, mad people, or trip-wired crossbows; public drunkenness; desecrating graves; wolves; disputes over wells and camp- sites; Chinese and Russian merchants; military prepared- ness; hospitality; witnesses in criminal cases; and relations of parents and children." [1]

[1]: (Atwood 2004, 301)


261 Zungharian Empire unknown Suspected Expert -
-
262 Orokaiva - Pre-Colonial absent Confident Expert -
-
263 Orokaiva - Colonial absent Confident Expert -
-
264 Beaker Culture absent Inferred Expert -
Not mentioned in the literature.
265 Atlantic Complex absent Confident Expert -
Not mentioned in the literature.
266 Hallstatt A-B1 absent Confident Expert -
Not mentioned in the literature.
267 Hallstatt B2-3 absent Inferred Expert -
Inferred from the absence of crossbows in past and future polities in Paris Basin
268 Hallstatt C absent Inferred Expert -
Inferred from the absence of crossbows in past and future polities in Paris Basin
269 Hallstatt D absent Inferred Expert -
Inferred from the absence of composite bows in past and future polities in Paris Basin
270 La Tene A-B1 absent Confident Expert -
Not mentioned in the literature.
271 La Tene B2-C1 absent Confident Expert -
Not mentioned in the literature.
272 La Tene C2-D absent Confident Expert -
Not mentioned in the literature RA.
273 Proto-Carolingian absent Confident Expert -
"The crossbow, or arbaleste, was reintroduced into France ca. 950 and was commonly used thereafter to ca. 1550, primarily by special infantry units placed from ca. 1200 to 1534 under the overall authority of a grand master of the crossbowmen (arbalest[r]iers)." [1]

[1]: (Boulton in Kibler et al 1995, 127)


274 Proto-French Kingdom present Confident Expert -
Crossbow/arbaleste reintroduced c950 CE. [1]

[1]: (Boulton 1995 67-68) Jonathan D Boulton. Armor And Weapons. William W Kibler. Grover A Zinn. Lawrence Earp. John Bell Henneman Jr. 1995. Routledge Revivals: Medieval France (1995): An Encyclopedia. Routledge. Abingdon.


275 French Kingdom - Late Capetian present Confident Expert -
Crossbow/arbaleste reintroduced c950 CE. [1] "The rise of crossbows lead to the virtual disappearance of the simple bows as war weapons in France and no hand bows are recorded in surviving castle inventories from 1230 to the mid-14th century." [2] Crossbow armed infantry gained in importance during the 13th century. [3]

[1]: (Boulton 1995 67-68) Jonathan D Boulton. Armor And Weapons. William W Kibler. Grover A Zinn. Lawrence Earp. John Bell Henneman Jr. 1995. Routledge Revivals: Medieval France (1995): An Encyclopedia. Routledge. Abingdon.

[2]: (Nicolle 1991, 11-12)

[3]: (Nicolle 1991, 11)


276 French Kingdom - Late Valois present Confident Expert -
Crossbowmen. [1]

[1]: (Potter 2008, 103)


277 French Kingdom - Early Bourbon present Confident Expert -
Maybe still some use of the crossbow? Lances, swords, crossbowmen, longbows, pikemen were of central importance on the battlefield for at least 200 years after the first guns until the Battle of Carignola (1503 CE) which was probably decided by guns and Marignano (1515 CE) when Swiss squares were beaten by cavalry shooting pistols and cannon artillery. [1] The first Bourbon era 1589-1660 CE is firmly after the transition to firearm dominance so at this time the old weapons must have played only a minor role in warfare or had been completely abandoned.

[1]: (Nolan 2006, 367) Cathal J Nolan. 2006. The Age of Wars of Religion, 1000-1650: An Encyclopedia of Global Warfare and Civilization. Volume 1 A - K. Greenwood Press. Westport.


278 French Kingdom - Late Bourbon absent Confident Expert -
[1]

[1]: (Parrott 2012, 62) David Parrott. Armed Forces. William Doyle. ed. 2012. The Oxford Handbook of the Ancien Régime. Oxford University Press. Oxford.


279 Sarazm unknown Suspected Expert -
-
280 Andronovo unknown Suspected Expert -
-
281 Koktepe I unknown Suspected Expert -
-
282 Ancient Khwarazm unknown Suspected Expert -
-
283 Koktepe II absent Confident Expert -
This is before the earliest known example of crossbows in China.
284 Tocharians present Confident Expert -
Present due to the following in contemporary Chinese sources, which are relevant for gaining insight on the weapons and armor of Steppe Nomads. "Even with strong crossbows that shoot far, and long halberds that hit at a distance, the Hsiung-nu would not be able to ward them off. If the armors are sturdy and the weapons sharp, if the repetition crossbows shot far, and the platoons advance together, the Hsiung-nu will not be able to withstand. If specially trained troops are quick to release (their bows) and the arrows in a single stream hit the target together, then the leather outfit and wooden shields of the Hsiung-nu will not be able to protect them. If they dismount and fight on foot, when swords and halberds clash as [the soldiers] come into close quarters, the Hsiung-nu, who lack infantry training, will not be able to cope." [1]

[1]: Nicola Di Cosmo. 2002. Ancient China and Its Enemies: The Rise of Nomadic Power in East Asian History. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge, p. 203


285 Sogdiana - City-States Period present Inferred Expert -
"the Persian nawak, also known by its Arabic name of majra or mijrat. An early reference is the use of it by the Sassanid Persians against the Arabs in +637 when it was termed qaus al-nawakiyah (the tube bow). In the Islamic world extraordinary distances were shot with this device." [1]

[1]: (Needham and Wang 1954, 166) Needham J and Wang L. 1954. Science and Civilization in China. Cambridge University Press.


286 Khanate of Bukhara unknown Suspected Expert -
-
287 Hmong - Late Qing absent Inferred Expert -
Diamond mentions the use of crossbows on hunting trips among swidden cultivators: ’Economic strategies vary. The Hua Miao were shifting-swidden agriculturalists, growing buckwheat, oats, corn, potatoes, and hemp, and using a simple wooden hand plow or hoe. Sheep and goats were fed on nearby pasture land. Additionally the Hua Miao hunted with crossbow and poisoned arrows and gathered foodstuffs in the forests.’ [1] The presence of firearms seems to make the active use of the crossbow in violent conflict less likely. We need to confirm this.

[1]: Diamond, Norma: eHRAF Cultural Summary for the Miao


288 Hmong - Early Chinese absent Confident Expert -
Diamond mentions the use of crossbows on hunting trips among swidden cultivators: ’Economic strategies vary. The Hua Miao were shifting-swidden agriculturalists, growing buckwheat, oats, corn, potatoes, and hemp, and using a simple wooden hand plow or hoe. Sheep and goats were fed on nearby pasture land. Additionally the Hua Miao hunted with crossbow and poisoned arrows and gathered foodstuffs in the forests.’ [1] But the presence of firearms seems to make the active use of the crossbow in violent conflict less likely.

[1]: Diamond, Norma: eHRAF Cultural Summary for the Miao


289 Ubaid absent Confident Expert -
It is well documented that crossbow has not been in use before 5th century BCE. [1]

[1]: Needham 2003, 135


290 Uruk absent Inferred Expert -
It is well documented that crossbows have not been in use before 5th century BCE. [1]

[1]: Needham 2003, 135


291 Early Dynastic unknown Suspected Expert -
-
292 Akkadian Empire absent Confident Expert -
not yet developed
293 Ur - Dynasty III absent Confident Expert -
Not invented at this time: "the hand-held crossbow was invented by the Chinese, in the fifth century BC, and probably came into the Roman world in the first century AD, where it was used for hunting." [1] The crossbow also developed after the Syracuse Greek Dionysios I invented a form of crossbow called the gastraphetes in 399 BCE. [2]

[1]: (Nicholson 2004, 99) Helen Nicholson. 2004. Medieval Warfare: Theory and Practice of War in Europe, 300-1500. PalgraveMacmillan. Basingstoke.

[2]: (Keyser and Irby-Massie 2006, 260) Paul T Keyser. Georgia Irby-Massie. Science, Medicine, And Technology. Glenn R Bugh. ed. 2006. The Cambridge Companion to the Hellenistic World. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge.


294 Isin-Larsa absent Confident Expert -
Not mentioned by sources.
295 Amorite Babylonia absent Inferred Expert -
It is well documented that crossbows have not been in use before 5th century BCE. [1]

[1]: Needham, J. 2004. Science and Civilisation in China. Military Technology: Missiles and Sieges vol. 5 part 6. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 135


296 Second Dynasty of Isin absent Confident Expert -
Not mentioned by sources.
297 Bazi Dynasty absent Confident Expert -
Not mentioned by sources.
298 Dynasty of E absent Confident Expert -
Not mentioned by sources.
299 Parthian Empire II unknown Suspected Expert -
-
300 Abbasid Caliphate II present Inferred Expert -
Earlier Abbasids had the crowboss. [1] Abbasids referred to the crossbow as the qaws al-rijl, first mentioned in 881 CE. [2]

[1]: Kennedy, Hugh N. The armies of the caliphs: military and society in the early Islamic state. Vol. 3 Routledge, 2001. pp. 168-182

[2]: Nicolle,David, Medieval Siege Weapons (2): Byzantium, the Islamic World and India AD 476-1526(Osprey Publishing 2003)


301 Pre-Ceramic Period absent Confident Expert -
Not invented yet
302 Formative Period absent Confident Expert -
Not invented yet
303 Susiana - Muhammad Jaffar absent Confident Expert -
Not invented yet
304 Susiana A absent Confident Expert -
Not invented yet
305 Susiana B absent Confident Expert -
Not invented yet
306 Susiana - Early Ubaid absent Confident Expert -
Not invented yet
307 Susiana - Late Ubaid absent Confident Expert -
Not invented yet
308 Susa I absent Confident Expert -
Not present at this time: "the hand-held crossbow was invented by the Chinese, in the fifth century BC, and probably came into the Roman world in the first century AD, where it was used for hunting." [1] The crossbow also developed after the Syracuse Greek Dionysios I invented a form of crossbow called the gastraphetes in 399 BCE. [2]

[1]: (Nicholson 2004, 99) Helen Nicholson. 2004. Medieval Warfare: Theory and Practice of War in Europe, 300-1500. PalgraveMacmillan. Basingstoke.

[2]: (Keyser and Irby-Massie 2006, 260) Paul T Keyser. Georgia Irby-Massie. Science, Medicine, And Technology. Glenn R Bugh. ed. 2006. The Cambridge Companion to the Hellenistic World. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge.


309 Susa II absent Confident Expert -
Not present at this time: "the hand-held crossbow was invented by the Chinese, in the fifth century BC, and probably came into the Roman world in the first century AD, where it was used for hunting." [1] The crossbow also developed after the Syracuse Greek Dionysios I invented a form of crossbow called the gastraphetes in 399 BCE. [2]

[1]: (Nicholson 2004, 99) Helen Nicholson. 2004. Medieval Warfare: Theory and Practice of War in Europe, 300-1500. PalgraveMacmillan. Basingstoke.

[2]: (Keyser and Irby-Massie 2006, 260) Paul T Keyser. Georgia Irby-Massie. Science, Medicine, And Technology. Glenn R Bugh. ed. 2006. The Cambridge Companion to the Hellenistic World. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge.


310 Susa III absent Confident Expert -
Not present at this time: "the hand-held crossbow was invented by the Chinese, in the fifth century BC, and probably came into the Roman world in the first century AD, where it was used for hunting." [1] The crossbow also developed after the Syracuse Greek Dionysios I invented a form of crossbow called the gastraphetes in 399 BCE. [2]

[1]: (Nicholson 2004, 99) Helen Nicholson. 2004. Medieval Warfare: Theory and Practice of War in Europe, 300-1500. PalgraveMacmillan. Basingstoke.

[2]: (Keyser and Irby-Massie 2006, 260) Paul T Keyser. Georgia Irby-Massie. Science, Medicine, And Technology. Glenn R Bugh. ed. 2006. The Cambridge Companion to the Hellenistic World. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge.


311 Elam - Awan Dynasty I absent Confident Expert -
Not present at this time: "the hand-held crossbow was invented by the Chinese, in the fifth century BC, and probably came into the Roman world in the first century AD, where it was used for hunting." [1] The crossbow also developed after the Syracuse Greek Dionysios I invented a form of crossbow called the gastraphetes in 399 BCE. [2]

[1]: (Nicholson 2004, 99) Helen Nicholson. 2004. Medieval Warfare: Theory and Practice of War in Europe, 300-1500. PalgraveMacmillan. Basingstoke.

[2]: (Keyser and Irby-Massie 2006, 260) Paul T Keyser. Georgia Irby-Massie. Science, Medicine, And Technology. Glenn R Bugh. ed. 2006. The Cambridge Companion to the Hellenistic World. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge.


312 Elam - Shimashki Period absent Confident Expert -
Not present at this time: "the hand-held crossbow was invented by the Chinese, in the fifth century BC, and probably came into the Roman world in the first century AD, where it was used for hunting." [1] The crossbow also developed after the Syracuse Greek Dionysios I invented a form of crossbow called the gastraphetes in 399 BCE. [2]

[1]: (Nicholson 2004, 99) Helen Nicholson. 2004. Medieval Warfare: Theory and Practice of War in Europe, 300-1500. PalgraveMacmillan. Basingstoke.

[2]: (Keyser and Irby-Massie 2006, 260) Paul T Keyser. Georgia Irby-Massie. Science, Medicine, And Technology. Glenn R Bugh. ed. 2006. The Cambridge Companion to the Hellenistic World. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge.


313 Elam - Early Sukkalmah absent Confident Expert -
Not present at this time: "the hand-held crossbow was invented by the Chinese, in the fifth century BC, and probably came into the Roman world in the first century AD, where it was used for hunting." [1] The crossbow also developed after the Syracuse Greek Dionysios I invented a form of crossbow called the gastraphetes in 399 BCE. [2]

[1]: (Nicholson 2004, 99) Helen Nicholson. 2004. Medieval Warfare: Theory and Practice of War in Europe, 300-1500. PalgraveMacmillan. Basingstoke.

[2]: (Keyser and Irby-Massie 2006, 260) Paul T Keyser. Georgia Irby-Massie. Science, Medicine, And Technology. Glenn R Bugh. ed. 2006. The Cambridge Companion to the Hellenistic World. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge.


314 Elam - Late Sukkalmah absent Confident Expert -
Not present at this time: "the hand-held crossbow was invented by the Chinese, in the fifth century BC, and probably came into the Roman world in the first century AD, where it was used for hunting." [1] The crossbow also developed after the Syracuse Greek Dionysios I invented a form of crossbow called the gastraphetes in 399 BCE. [2]

[1]: (Nicholson 2004, 99) Helen Nicholson. 2004. Medieval Warfare: Theory and Practice of War in Europe, 300-1500. PalgraveMacmillan. Basingstoke.

[2]: (Keyser and Irby-Massie 2006, 260) Paul T Keyser. Georgia Irby-Massie. Science, Medicine, And Technology. Glenn R Bugh. ed. 2006. The Cambridge Companion to the Hellenistic World. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge.


315 Elam - Kidinuid Period absent Confident Expert -
Not present at this time: "the hand-held crossbow was invented by the Chinese, in the fifth century BC, and probably came into the Roman world in the first century AD, where it was used for hunting." [1] The crossbow also developed after the Syracuse Greek Dionysios I invented a form of crossbow called the gastraphetes in 399 BCE. [2]

[1]: (Nicholson 2004, 99) Helen Nicholson. 2004. Medieval Warfare: Theory and Practice of War in Europe, 300-1500. PalgraveMacmillan. Basingstoke.

[2]: (Keyser and Irby-Massie 2006, 260) Paul T Keyser. Georgia Irby-Massie. Science, Medicine, And Technology. Glenn R Bugh. ed. 2006. The Cambridge Companion to the Hellenistic World. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge.


316 Elam - Igihalkid Period absent Confident Expert -
Not present at this time: "the hand-held crossbow was invented by the Chinese, in the fifth century BC, and probably came into the Roman world in the first century AD, where it was used for hunting." [1] The crossbow also developed after the Syracuse Greek Dionysios I invented a form of crossbow called the gastraphetes in 399 BCE. [2]

[1]: (Nicholson 2004, 99) Helen Nicholson. 2004. Medieval Warfare: Theory and Practice of War in Europe, 300-1500. PalgraveMacmillan. Basingstoke.

[2]: (Keyser and Irby-Massie 2006, 260) Paul T Keyser. Georgia Irby-Massie. Science, Medicine, And Technology. Glenn R Bugh. ed. 2006. The Cambridge Companion to the Hellenistic World. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge.


317 Elam - Shutrukid Period absent Confident Expert -
Not present at this time: "the hand-held crossbow was invented by the Chinese, in the fifth century BC, and probably came into the Roman world in the first century AD, where it was used for hunting." [1] The crossbow also developed after the Syracuse Greek Dionysios I invented a form of crossbow called the gastraphetes in 399 BCE. [2]

[1]: (Nicholson 2004, 99) Helen Nicholson. 2004. Medieval Warfare: Theory and Practice of War in Europe, 300-1500. PalgraveMacmillan. Basingstoke.

[2]: (Keyser and Irby-Massie 2006, 260) Paul T Keyser. Georgia Irby-Massie. Science, Medicine, And Technology. Glenn R Bugh. ed. 2006. The Cambridge Companion to the Hellenistic World. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge.


318 Elam - Crisis Period absent Confident Expert -
Not present at this time: "the hand-held crossbow was invented by the Chinese, in the fifth century BC, and probably came into the Roman world in the first century AD, where it was used for hunting." [1] The crossbow also developed after the Syracuse Greek Dionysios I invented a form of crossbow called the gastraphetes in 399 BCE. [2]

[1]: (Nicholson 2004, 99) Helen Nicholson. 2004. Medieval Warfare: Theory and Practice of War in Europe, 300-1500. PalgraveMacmillan. Basingstoke.

[2]: (Keyser and Irby-Massie 2006, 260) Paul T Keyser. Georgia Irby-Massie. Science, Medicine, And Technology. Glenn R Bugh. ed. 2006. The Cambridge Companion to the Hellenistic World. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge.


319 Elam I absent Confident Expert -
Not present at this time: "the hand-held crossbow was invented by the Chinese, in the fifth century BC, and probably came into the Roman world in the first century AD, where it was used for hunting." [1] The crossbow also developed after the Syracuse Greek Dionysios I invented a form of crossbow called the gastraphetes in 399 BCE. [2]

[1]: (Nicholson 2004, 99) Helen Nicholson. 2004. Medieval Warfare: Theory and Practice of War in Europe, 300-1500. PalgraveMacmillan. Basingstoke.

[2]: (Keyser and Irby-Massie 2006, 260) Paul T Keyser. Georgia Irby-Massie. Science, Medicine, And Technology. Glenn R Bugh. ed. 2006. The Cambridge Companion to the Hellenistic World. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge.


320 Elam II absent Confident Expert -
Not present at this time: "the hand-held crossbow was invented by the Chinese, in the fifth century BC, and probably came into the Roman world in the first century AD, where it was used for hunting." [1] The crossbow also developed after the Syracuse Greek Dionysios I invented a form of crossbow called the gastraphetes in 399 BCE. [2]

[1]: (Nicholson 2004, 99) Helen Nicholson. 2004. Medieval Warfare: Theory and Practice of War in Europe, 300-1500. PalgraveMacmillan. Basingstoke.

[2]: (Keyser and Irby-Massie 2006, 260) Paul T Keyser. Georgia Irby-Massie. Science, Medicine, And Technology. Glenn R Bugh. ed. 2006. The Cambridge Companion to the Hellenistic World. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge.


321 Elam III absent Confident Expert -
Not present at this time: "the hand-held crossbow was invented by the Chinese, in the fifth century BC, and probably came into the Roman world in the first century AD, where it was used for hunting." [1] The crossbow also developed after the Syracuse Greek Dionysios I invented a form of crossbow called the gastraphetes in 399 BCE. [2]

[1]: (Nicholson 2004, 99) Helen Nicholson. 2004. Medieval Warfare: Theory and Practice of War in Europe, 300-1500. PalgraveMacmillan. Basingstoke.

[2]: (Keyser and Irby-Massie 2006, 260) Paul T Keyser. Georgia Irby-Massie. Science, Medicine, And Technology. Glenn R Bugh. ed. 2006. The Cambridge Companion to the Hellenistic World. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge.


322 Elymais II unknown Suspected Expert -
"the hand-held crossbow was invented by the Chinese, in the fifth century BC, and probably came into the Roman world in the first century AD, where it was used for hunting." [1] "The use of the hand-crossbow in Europe thus divides into two quite distinct periods, the first between about -100 and +450; the second beginning in the +10th century." [2]

[1]: (Nicholson 2004, 99) Helen Nicholson. 2004. Medieval Warfare: Theory and Practice of War in Europe, 300-1500. PalgraveMacmillan. Basingstoke.

[2]: (Needham and Wang 1954, 174) Needham J and Wang L. 1954. Science and Civilisation in China. Cambridge University Press.


323 Ak Koyunlu absent Inferred Expert -
"The weapons used in the military forces of the Anatolian Principalities were bow and arrow, sword, shield, javelin, dagger, club, axe, catapult and arrade." [1]

[1]: (1994, 365) Ibrahim Kafesoglu. Ahmet Edip Uysal. Erdogan Mercil. Hidayet Yavuz Nuhoglu. 1994. A short history of Turkish-Islamic states (excluding the Ottoman state). Turkish Historical Society Printing House.


324 Qajar unknown Suspected Expert -
-
325 Badarian absent Confident Expert -
not yet invented
326 Naqada I absent Confident Expert -
not yet invented
327 Naqada II absent Confident Expert -
not yet developed
328 Egypt - Dynasty 0 absent Confident Expert -
not yet developed
329 Egypt - Dynasty I absent Confident Expert -
not yet developed
330 Egypt - Dynasty II absent Confident Expert -
not yet developed
331 Egypt - Classic Old Kingdom absent Confident Expert -
not yet developed
332 Egypt - Late Old Kingdom absent Confident Expert -
not present during this time period
333 Egypt - Period of the Regions absent Confident Expert -
not present during this time period
334 Egypt - Middle Kingdom absent Confident Expert -
not present during this time period
335 Egypt - Thebes-Hyksos Period absent Confident Expert -
not invented at this time
336 Egypt - Kushite Period absent Inferred Expert -
-
337 Oaxaca - Tierras Largas absent Confident Expert -
Hassig lists crossbows among the new military technologies the Spanish introduced to the region in the sixteenth century [1]

[1]: (Hassig 1992, 143) Hassig, Robert. 1992. War and Society in Ancient Mesoamerica. London; Berkeley: University of California Press. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/collectionKey/F76EVNU3/itemKey/E9VHCKDG


338 Oaxaca - San Jose absent Confident Expert -
Hassig lists crossbows among the new military technologies the Spanish introduced to the region in the sixteenth century [1]

[1]: (Hassig 1992, 143) Hassig, Robert. 1992. War and Society in Ancient Mesoamerica. London; Berkeley: University of California Press. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/collectionKey/F76EVNU3/itemKey/E9VHCKDG


339 Oaxaca - Rosario absent Confident Expert -
Hassig lists crossbows among the new military technologies the Spanish introduced to the region in the sixteenth century [1]

[1]: (Hassig 1992, 143) Hassig, Robert. 1992. War and Society in Ancient Mesoamerica. London; Berkeley: University of California Press. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/collectionKey/F76EVNU3/itemKey/E9VHCKDG


340 Early Monte Alban I absent Confident Expert -
Hassig lists crossbows among the new military technologies the Spanish introduced to the region in the sixteenth century [1]

[1]: (Hassig 1992, 143) Hassig, Robert. 1992. War and Society in Ancient Mesoamerica. London; Berkeley: University of California Press. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/collectionKey/F76EVNU3/itemKey/E9VHCKDG


341 Monte Alban Late I absent Confident Expert -
Hassig lists crossbows among the new military technologies the Spanish introduced to the region in the sixteenth century [1]

[1]: (Hassig 1992, 143) Hassig, Robert. 1992. War and Society in Ancient Mesoamerica. London; Berkeley: University of California Press. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/collectionKey/F76EVNU3/itemKey/E9VHCKDG


342 Monte Alban II absent Confident Expert -
Hassig lists crossbows among the new military technologies the Spanish introduced to the region in the sixteenth century [1]

[1]: (Hassig 1992, 143) Hassig, Robert. 1992. War and Society in Ancient Mesoamerica. London; Berkeley: University of California Press. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/collectionKey/F76EVNU3/itemKey/E9VHCKDG


343 Monte Alban III absent Confident Expert -
Hassig lists crossbows among the new military technologies the Spanish introduced to the region in the sixteenth century [1]

[1]: (Hassig 1992, 143) Hassig, Robert. 1992. War and Society in Ancient Mesoamerica. London; Berkeley: University of California Press. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/collectionKey/F76EVNU3/itemKey/E9VHCKDG


344 Monte Alban IIIB and IV absent Confident Expert -
Hassig lists crossbows among the new military technologies the Spanish introduced to the region in the sixteenth century [1]

[1]: (Hassig 1992, 143) Hassig, Robert. 1992. War and Society in Ancient Mesoamerica. London; Berkeley: University of California Press. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/collectionKey/F76EVNU3/itemKey/E9VHCKDG


345 Monte Alban V absent Confident Expert -
Weapons other than obsidian swords, bows and arrows, slings, spears and atlatls are not known for this period. [1]

[1]: Flannery and Marcus (1983) The Cloud People: divergent evolution of the Zapotec and Mixtec civilizations. Museum of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Academic Press, New York.


346 Yemen - Qasimid Dynasty unknown Suspected Expert -
-
347 Peiligang absent Confident Expert -
Technology first seen in Warring States period [1]

[1]: (Liang 2005)


348 Republic of Venice III present Confident Expert -
General reference for medieval warfare: crossbow bolts. [1] Illustration shows "N. Italian crossbowman, c. 1330" with a crossbow. [2] Illustration shows "N. Italian crossbowman, late 15th C." [3] "The history of crossbow design and manufacture seems to be unknown, but there is definite evidence that the number and importance of these weapons in sea warfare increased markedly in the years following 1282. It looks as though the value of crossbows for land warfare assumed a new order of magnitude only after the weapons 1) began to be manufactured in comparatively vast quantities for use at sea, and 2) the skills for maintaining these relatively complicated instruments had spread among a few thousand increasingly professionalized bowmen-mariners. Large-scale manufacture of these bows may have started in Genoa and/or Barcelona, perhaps in preparation for the campaign of 1282." [4]

[1]: (Gaier 2010, 76) Claude Gaier. Arms Industry and Trade. Clifford J. Rogers. ed. 2010. The Oxford Encyclopedia of Medieval Warfare and Military Technology, Volume 1. Oxford University Press. Oxford.

[2]: (Nicolle 1989, Plate B) David Nicolle. 1989. The Venetian Empire 1200-1670. Osprey Publishing. Oxford.

[3]: (Nicolle 1989, Plate E) David Nicolle. 1989. The Venetian Empire 1200-1670. Osprey Publishing. Oxford.

[4]: (McNeill 1986, 39) William H McNeill. 1986. Venice: The Hinge of Europe, 1081-1797. University of Chicago Press. Chicago.


349 Republic of Venice IV present Confident Expert -
General reference for medieval warfare: crossbow bolts. [1] Illustration shows "N. Italian crossbowman, c. 1330" with a crossbow. [2] Illustration shows "N. Italian crossbowman, late 15th C." [3]

[1]: (Gaier 2010, 76) Claude Gaier. Arms Industry and Trade. Clifford J. Rogers. ed. 2010. The Oxford Encyclopedia of Medieval Warfare and Military Technology, Volume 1. Oxford University Press. Oxford.

[2]: (Nicolle 1989, Plate B) David Nicolle. 1989. The Venetian Empire 1200-1670. Osprey Publishing. Oxford.

[3]: (Nicolle 1989, Plate E) David Nicolle. 1989. The Venetian Empire 1200-1670. Osprey Publishing. Oxford.