Catapult, a Mechanical Bow of Koguryo
It was divided into two parts--bow and body. The bow was to give projectile force to the arrow and the body played the role of holding the arrow and defining its direction of fire.
Korea has the longest history of catapults in the East. There were single and repeat firing catapults.
Repeat firing catapult of Korea was famous in the Middle Ages.
It was the one developed from the single-fire catapult of Koguryo. It could load many arrows and shoot three at a time.
Such catapult could not be found in other countries at that time.
Researcher Hwang Kum Sok at the History Institute under the Academy of Social Sciences says:
"Catapults made by our resourceful ancestors still strike the people with admiration for their excellent structures, working principles and processing techniques.
What draws attention of many people is, in particular, the line of sight carved on the catapults, which can be seen on the present-day weapons.
So weapon experts of other countries estimated: 'Those catapults with so simple and ingenious structures put the moderns to shame. It's interesting as they work like today's rifles. If they were made 2,000 years ago, it is too amazing.'"
Like this, catapults of Koguryo show well the high level of creative wisdom and distinguished talents of the Korean ancestors.
Repeat firing catapult of Korea was famous in the Middle Ages.
It was the one developed from the single-fire catapult of Koguryo. It could load many arrows and shoot three at a time.
Such catapult could not be found in other countries at that time.
Researcher Hwang Kum Sok at the History Institute under the Academy of Social Sciences says:
"Catapults made by our resourceful ancestors still strike the people with admiration for their excellent structures, working principles and processing techniques.
What draws attention of many people is, in particular, the line of sight carved on the catapults, which can be seen on the present-day weapons.
So weapon experts of other countries estimated: 'Those catapults with so simple and ingenious structures put the moderns to shame. It's interesting as they work like today's rifles. If they were made 2,000 years ago, it is too amazing.'"
Like this, catapults of Koguryo show well the high level of creative wisdom and distinguished talents of the Korean ancestors.