graduate student
Vladivostok, Russian Federation
Among the ranged weapons used in the Middle Ages, crossbows occupy an important place. This type of weapon played a significant role in almost all wars, up to the advent of firearms. Many researchers addressed issues related to the crossbows of medieval China. Based on numerous archaeological finds, authentic texts and engravings, detailed reconstructions of crossbows have been created. But there is not enough information about crossbows that were made and used by the Jurchens of the Jin Empire (1115–1234) and the state of Eastern Xia (1215–1233). There are few direct references to crossbows in written sources dating back to the Jurchen period. The absence of finds of crossbows or their parts on the Jurchen monuments for a long time did not allow us to talk about the use of this type of weapon by the Jurchens.
Jurchen, Jin Empire, Eastern Xia state, weapons, crossbow, block, lock, trigger bar, sear
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