Crossbow

Crossbows are thought to have first appeared in Europe and China between the 5th and 7th centuries BC as military weapons, with Pictish imagery from between the 6th and 9th centuries showing them as part of the common hunting arsenal.   The great advantage of the crossbow is that the user is not required to have a great deal of strength for it to be used effectively, and the mechanism to shoot projectiles was relatively simple, meaning most people can use one.