Can You Give Some Information About Man's Early Use Of Springs?

Metal springs dating back to early history have been found all over Europe and Asia. These are usually in the form of spring-type clasps, and they were made of copper or brass, hammered into shape by skilled craftsmen. It appears that these early people even used a fastening device to help to hold up clothing in much the manner that a safety pin might be used today.

One of man's early uses of spring energy was in a weapon—the bow. This was followed by the introduction of large catapults that were used to hurl stones or other missiles at an enemy. These machines were of massive size. By means of sudden release of tension on wooden beams or on twisted cords of various fibers and materials, huge missiles were hurled with tremendous force, greatly damaging enemy fortifications. The Jewish historian Josephus describes the power of the Roman catapults used in the siege of Jerusalem. He says that they could hurl stones of a talent in weight a distance of two furlongs, or a quarter of a mile (.4 kilometer). (A Greek talent as used in Roman times weighed 61.6 pounds [27.9 kilograms].)