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Ancient Engineering SeriesTREBUCHET.com
The Atomic Bomb of the Middle Ages

Fundamentals of Hurling CD-ROM bundle


Give a man a fish, he eats for a day.
Teach a man to fish, he eats for a lifetime.
-- Chinese proverb.

You could spend $59 on a kit, and have one catapult. Or you could spend $59 on information, principles of design and construction, software simulators, history, images and detailed descriptions, and enjoy a lifetime's worth of catapult skills and know-how.

Get it all here- over $100 value if purchased separately! On this CD you'll get the complete and full versions of these:


  • PVC Plans, The plans and instructions to build your own Trebuchet from PVC pipe and fittings.

  • ATreb, the software trebuchet simulator. Type in your specifications, and it will tell you how far, how high, stress levels on your machine and you can even optimize key aspects of your machine!

  • FATSIM, Same as above, but for the Floating Arm Trebuchet variants. I used it to design the piano tossing trebuchet used in the TV show "In The Name Of Science"

  • "Catapult Design, Construction and Competition", The e-book that describes the national catapult and trebuchet competitions of the 1960s and 70s. Includes design specs, competition rules, result records and personal reflections.

  • "The Projectile Throwing Engines of the Ancients", originally published in 1901, by Ralph Payne-Gallwey, and based on his extensive research, this book defined much of what we know today in the catapult arts. Excellent bibliography!

  • "The Onager Manuscript", by Brian Lapham. This one gives explicit details on how to build an Onager or Mangonel, and the philosophy behind its construction. A great read that's also a great project!

  • Artwork, More than a dozen pictures and artwork of ancient machines, drawings, and depictions of siege engines in battle. Some are rare and hard to find images, others are more useful as examples. All are high quality, high resolution images. Smaller versions of all images are included too!



If purchased separately this bundle would cost over $100 !! This is a special deal for one CD-ROM with all of these products at one special bundle price.
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Interesting Notes

Some Trebuchet History:

From the 13th century writing: "Itinerarium Peregrinorum et Gesta Regis Ricardi"

In June and July of 1191, Richard the Lionheart (the Duke of Normandy) laid siege to the city of Acre as part of the medieval Crusades.

The Duke concentrated on constructing siege machines and placing trebuchets [petrariae - literally, stone hurler] in suitable places. He arranged for these to shoot continually day and night. He had one excellent one which he called "Bad Neighbor" [Malvoisine]. Its continual bombardment partly destroyed the main city wall and shattered the Cursed Tower. On one side the Templars' trebuchet wreaked impressive devastation, while the Hospitallers trebuchet also never ceased hurling, to the terror of the Turks.

Besides these, there was a trebuchet that had been constructed at general expense, which they called "God's Stone-Thrower". A priest, a man of great probity, always stood next to it preaching and collecting money for its continual repair and for hiring people to gather the stones for its ammunition. This machine at last demolished the wall next to the Cursed Tower for around two perches' Length [11 yards or 10 meters].

The count of Flanders had had a choice trebuchet, which King Richard had after his death, as well as another trebuchet which was not so good. These two constantly bombarded the tower next to a gate which the Turks frequently used, until the tower was half-demolished. Besides these, King Richard had two new ones made with remarkable workmanship and material which would hit the intended target no matter how far off it was. . . . He also had two mangonels [traction trebuchets] prepared. One of these was so swift and violent that its shots reached the inner streets of the city meat market.

King Richard's trebuchets hurled constantly by day and night. It can be firmly stated that one of them killed twelve men with a single stone. That stone was sent for Saladin to see, with messengers who said that the diabolical king of England had brought from Messina, a city he had captured, sea flint and the smoothest stones to punish the Saracens. Nothing could withstand their blows; everything was crushed or reduced to dust.