Ближний Восток и его соседи

g 198 h David Nicolle 86. One unbroken crossbow bolt, complete with its albeit bent head and without evidence of ever having flights, was found with other very late Mamlūk military ma- terial in the location CD 5 of the Citadel of Damascus. The butt is slightly enlarged, presumably to ensure that the crossbow’s string did not whip past during release, while the iron head is of a simple but substantial four-sided form. (Syrian Department of An- tiquities, Damascus; IFPO photograph). 87. Two extraordinary and massive iron arrows from the Citadel of Damascus which are now in Paris, are sometimes described as missiles to be shot from a very large cross- bow during siege warfare. They were apparently found in association with the two over- size crossbow staves mention above (photos 67 & 68). In reality they are more likely to have been fired from an early gun or small cannon, the wooden plugs at the ends of the iron missiles having been thrust into the muzzles of such firearms. The huge barbed heads, the rings attached to the shafts and the iron flights surely indicate that these “ar- rows” would have carried bundles of incendiary material. Their targets would presu­ mably have been large wooden structures such as a besieger’s siege-towers. (Musée de l’Armée, Paris).