Early Trebuchet

Timeline

1. c. 300–700Eastern Mediterranean coast · LevantRoman and Byzantine armies used torsion-powered engines (onager, ballista) to hurl stones; meanwhile, prototypes appeared in the Middle East and Central Asia that pulled the short end of a lever by manpower or animal power and used the long arm's inertia to throw, laying the mechanical foundation for the later traction trebuchet.
2. c. 800–1000Baghdad · IraqArabic called large stone-throwing engines manjaniq, covering both torsion and manpower-lever types; siege literature and military manuals of dynasties such as the Fatimids and Hamdanids record their manufacture and deployment, and the technology spread to Byzantine frontiers via the Syria–Anatolia corridor.
3. 1031–1040Southeastern Anatolian frontier · Northern edge of MesopotamiaAs Seljuk Turks advanced, both Byzantine fortress defenders and attackers deployed traction trebuchets to bombard walls; Fatimid and Hamdanid forces likewise used similar engines in Syrian sieges. Engines of this period achieved volleys by dozens to over a hundred soldiers pulling in unison; stone weight and range lagged behind later counterweight trebuchets, but they could already breach parapets and towers.
4. c. 1100–1300Acre · LevantDuring the Crusades, craftsmen on both sides of the Mediterranean improved lever structures, replacing manpower pulling with counterweight boxes and greatly increasing range and projectile weight; traction trebuchets remained in auxiliary use, but counterweight trebuchets gradually became the mainstay of late medieval siege warfare.