In the minds of common people, Rome was able to dominate the Mediterranean and establish a vast empire across three continents primarily due to its powerful heavy infantry and strict discipline. However, in actuality, the Romans had another advanced tool: various exquisite military machines.
The Empire's commonly used machines were divided into heavy and light types. The heavy types included ballistae, trebuchets, battering rams, and mobile siege towers, while the light types included mobile light ballistae and repeating crossbows.
These were early standard equipment for legions, but later on, due to financial constraints, their numbers gradually decreased.
Now, large ballistae are very rare.
The Empire's legions mainly use mobile light ballistae, which can be pulled by carriages, but the deployment speed is still very slow.
