21072 w25

mass could consist of aninial sincw, a lar grcatcr proportion than in oriental composite handbows. Many European composite crossbows also incorporated strips of whalebone fastened willi fish glue. Anolher system consisted of a core madę from strips of horn and whalebone, separated by horn and willi lengths of spruce on eacli side. Crossbow strings were usually madę of linen or hemp, and were sometimes waxed to rednce wear and tear. As construction methods improved and the bows became stronger, so the length of their puli fell from between 80-90cm to 15-20cm. As a result, the stock of the bow was strengthened with bonę, horn or iron, in order not to compromise the power stored in the span.

BELOW LEFT Detail from the wall-painting by Altichiero por-traying the life of St. James, c. 1370, showing the Battle of Clavigo: a crossbowman and an archer with a simple bow are both distinguishable. (In situ, Chapel of San Giacomo, the Basilica, Padua; author’s photograph)

A further development saw the use of Steel to make the bow. As early as 1086, a weapon with a blue ‘metallic’ bow appears in a Mozarab Spanish manuscript: given the Islamie workEs superiority at this time in this type of metallurgy, the evidence appears comincing enough to indicate that it niight be of Steel. There is also evidence of experimen-tation with Steel crossbows in Southern France in the late-13th century. The first elear reference to a Steel bow dates from 1314, and it is described as being ‘in the Genoese manner’. Tliese early Steel crossbows were no doubt prone to failing spectacularly, and it is not umil the 1370s that we find such weapons in regular military use.

The earliest method of spanning or pulling back a crossbow was to place one foot on each arm of the bow and then draw back the string. In the late-12th century the belt hook appeared in Egypt, and then in Mediterranean Europę shortly after. The resultant balestra a cwcco allowed the bowman to use the fuli strength of his legs, and enabled him to achieve a maximum puli of around 150 kilograms. The next devel-opment saw the incorporation of a pulley onto the belt hook strap. The

BELOW RIGHT Another detail from Altichiero’s life of St. James: the companions of the saint are taken before the King of Spain. (Author’s photograph)