The crossbow stirrup was invented by this point, but was not necessarily in universal use. In any case, it’s a great display of a rarely-depicted method of loading a crossbow - from a sitting position, with the feet. This was the main method of loading heavier crossbows before the invention of all sorts of ingenious mechanical aids, like the stirrup, belt hooks, windlasses, etc.
I feel responsible for your shifting focus, can we get some posts on the leveled up crossbow - the ballista?!
Ha, I’ll take a look, but I actually don’t have a lot of interest in large bolt-throwers! Roman scorpiones are cool, but once you start getting artillery-sized my attention starts to wander. I might have a pic or two, though!
Looks like they had a system down: loaders, exchangers, shooters
Yep! Exact setups vary - at Jaffa, I think they worked in pairs (loader-shooter), while other configurations are attested to elsewhere - I know some later European mercenaries worked in teams of three or four - two loaders, one shooter, and sometimes a shieldbearer.
Surprised by how many historical outcomes boil down to: who had the better rate of fire.
Funny enough, Jaffa was an exception to that. The Crusader crossbowmen fired slower than the Saracen horse archers, but the greater penetrative power of the crossbow and the effectiveness of the crossbowmen’s armor let them prevail anyway.
