Addressing its technical evolution as well as its military and social impact, this comprehensive reference shows how historic leaders such as Dionysus of Syracuse, the Ottoman Sultan Mohammad II, Oliver Cromwell, and Napoleon Bonaparte were successful in battle due to their innovative use of artillery. Anticipating hostilities, a dynamic military leader summons his finest engineers and craftsmen to develop new weapons. Two years later, those weapons lead to a decisive victory. The time is 24 centuries ago, the leader is Dionysus of Syracuse, and the weapons include tension-powered catapults-the earliest recorded artillery pieces deployed in battle. Artillery: An Illustrated History of its Impact charts the development of large, crew-operated battlefield weapons from the dart firers and catapults of the ancient world to the invention of gunpowder in China and its applications in medieval Europe, and from the emergence of naval and land gunnery four centuries ago to the latest rapidfire, rocket propulsion, laser guidance, and antiaircraft technologies. Written by an expert on military history, Artillery explores the technological and strategic innovations that have made these weapons increasingly effective at breaking through fortifications, inflicting casualties from a safe distance, providing cover for advancing forces, demoralizing opponents, and defending positions from attack. Beyond the battlefield, the book also looks at the impact of artillery on history and on the lives of civilians as well as soldiers.