Chris Holmes wrote:
For my fellow ancient weapons nerds: I watched the beginning of a documentary series called Origins on Netflix. Episode 2 on the history of archery attributed the invention of the crossbow to Leonardo Da Vinci. I love Da Vinci but, I know he didn't actually invent anything and in seemed like crossbows were around earlier. A little research showed they were hundreds of years earlier in China. The same show described the Hittites as Europeans.
I've seen the promos for that series, and it strikes me as infotainment (some info, mostly entertainment) along the lines of a lot of what appears on the History Channel and the like.
ReplyDeleteDa Vinci was born in 1452. Roman armies had crossbows. The Chinese had REPEATING crossbows as early as the Warring States Period (475 BC - 221 BC).
ReplyDeleteSo, yeah, the show is dead wrong. I’ll pass on it. Thanks for the warning.
I think they got their info crossed..
ReplyDeleteOh, and a papal bull outlawed the use of crossbows in 1139.
ReplyDeleteClearly, Leonardo invented time-travel. :)
Theron Bretz Dont give the History channel any ideas
ReplyDeleteHow does one get a job writing for this TV show? Is history involved at all in the writing process? Before they spouted off about crossbows (or anything else) did they even read the Wikipedia entry on "crossbow" or did some jackass in a meeting say that DaVinci invented crossbows and they just ran with it?
ReplyDeleteI watch all kinds of shit movies where they play fast and loose with history and generally don't care since this is entertainment... but if something PRETENDS to be about history they ought to have at least one historian on the writing staff. Fuck, hire a grad student! They will work cheap!
Um. No. Maybe daVinci was working on inventing a "better" crossbow?
ReplyDeleteI'd go so far as to say that this is actually "misinfotainment" and this type of program is intentional. I've been of the opinion that history revisionists have been at this for a long time. Alternatively, the vetting process in Hollyweird may have been faulty & accidentally let in "Flat Earther" writers & producers. lol.
ReplyDeleteSharing your rage folks.
ReplyDelete