![](https://www.historynet.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Da-Vinci-Crossbow.jpg)
The ballista traces its origins to ancient Greece, but Leonardo was thinking big with his circa 1480 update, which boasts a bow 80 feet wide. This model is in the collection of Milan’s Museo Nazionale Scienzia e Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci. / Eric Vandeville (AKG-Images)
![](https://www.historynet.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Da-Vinci-Crossbow.jpg)