Catapult

…It is well known that English longbowmen played an active role in several battles during the Hundred Years' War. Although the longbow was not as powerful as the crossbow, its advantage was the frequency of firing. Large siege catapults, called catapultas or ballistas, were used in the Middle Ages as in ancient times, but they required specialized operators. In the 13th century, the king's army, unable to siege the fort of Montsegur in southern France, is said to have invited experts in catapults to pelt them with boulders. …

*Some of the terminology explanations that mention "catapulta" are listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…百年戦争中，幾度かの合戦でイギリスの長弓隊が活躍したことはあまりにも有名だが，長弓(ロングボウ)は威力の点で弩に及ばないが，利点は射出頻度にあった。カタプルタcatapultaあるいはバリスタballistaと呼ばれる攻城用大型投石機は，古代に引き続いて中世でも使用されているが，専門の操作員を必要としたらしい。13世紀，南フランスのモンセギュール山砦を攻めあぐねた国王軍は投石専門職を招いて巨岩を撃ちかけたと伝えられる。…

※「catapulta」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報