> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://theparnassian.com/en/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Trebuchet at Château de Castelnaud and a nearly identical device in China in the 5th century
- URL: https://theparnassian.com/en/pomnite-trebushet/
- Published: 2019-10-21T11:09:43.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-02T18:58:09.000Z
- Author: Alexandr Radayev
- Tags: Museums, Observations, Pop Culture

Remember the trebuchet? A genuine siege engine straight out of Age of Empires, Cossacks and Stronghold: Crusader may be seen, for instance, at the open-air war museum in the French Château de Castelnaud. What I remember the trebuchet for most is its spectacular shot with a dead cow, giving off a stench and disease. This throwing engine is sometimes called a fundibula, that is, a sling, though I rather prefer the name "scales with a rocker beam". The engine is known in many cultures; in fifth-century China, for instance, an almost identical mechanism was used as well.

![](https://theparnassian.com/content/images/2026/09/photo_1934@21-10-2019_14-09-43.jpg)

![](https://theparnassian.com/content/images/2026/09/photo_1935@21-10-2019_14-09-43.jpg)

![](https://theparnassian.com/content/images/2026/09/photo_1936@21-10-2019_14-09-43.jpg)