The bows of these machines already featured a winched pull back system and could apparently throw two missiles at once. He probably designed his bow-machines on the occasion of the sieges of Cumae and Milet between 421 BC and 401 BC.
Zopyrus has been plausibly equated with a Pythagorean of that name who seems to have flourished in the late 5th century BC. BC), whose reliability has been positively reevaluated by recent scholarship, described two advanced forms of the gastraphetes, which he credits to Zopyros, an engineer from southern Italy. A detailed description of the gastraphetes, or the “belly-bow”, along with a watercolor drawing, is found in Heron's technical treatise Belopoeica. AD), who referred to the now lost works of the 3rd century BC engineer Ctesibius, this weapon was inspired by an earlier foot-held crossbow, called the gastraphetes, which could store more energy than the Greek bows. The introduction of crossbows however, can be dated further back: According to the inventor Hero of Alexandria (fl. Diodorus is assumed to have drawn his description from the highly rated history of Philistus, a contemporary of the events then. The weapon was soon after employed against Motya (397 BC), a key Carthaginian stronghold in Sicily. 1st century BC), described the invention of a mechanical arrow firing catapult ( katapeltikon) by a Greek task force in 399 BC. Primitive catapults were essentially “the product of relatively straightforward attempts to increase the range and penetrating power of missiles by strengthening the bow which propelled them”. While the synonyms toss and cast are close in meaning, toss suggests a light or careless or aimless throwing and may imply an upward motion.The early history of the catapult and the crossbow in Greece are closely intertwined. The meanings of throw and cast largely overlap however, throw is general and interchangeable with the other terms but may specifically imply a distinctive motion with bent arm.Ĭan throw a fastball and a curve In what contexts can toss take the place of cast? Slung the bag over his shoulder When is it sensible to use throw instead of cast? Pitch horseshoes Where would sling be a reasonable alternative to cast?Īlthough the words sling and cast have much in common, sling stresses either the use of whirling momentum in throwing or directness of aim.
The words pitch and cast can be used in similar contexts, but pitch suggests throwing carefully at a target. Hurled himself at the intruder When would pitch be a good substitute for cast? Specifically, hurl implies power as in throwing a massive weight. The words hurl and cast are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. While in some cases nearly identical to cast, fling stresses a violent throwing.įlung the ring back in his face When can hurl be used instead of cast? While all these words mean "to cause to move swiftly through space by a propulsive movement or a propelling force," cast usually implies lightness in the thing thrown and sometimes a scattering.Ĭast it to the winds When might fling be a better fit than cast? Some common synonyms of cast are fling, hurl, pitch, sling, throw, and toss. Frequently Asked Questions About cast How is the word cast distinct from other similar verbs?
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