Did ancient Greek use the crossbow?

The bow and arrow have been in use for over 60,000 years. Stone points which have been identified as arrowheads were being used in Africa around 60,000 years ago. By 16,000 BC flint points were being bound by sinews to split shafts. Fletching was being practiced, with feathers glued and bound to shafts.

The first actual bow fragments found were the Stellmoor bows from northern Germany. They were dated to about 8,000 BC but were destroyed in Hamburg during the Second World War. They were destroyed before Carbon 14 dating was invented and their age was attributed by archaeological association. The second oldest bow fragments are the elm Holmegaard bows from Denmark which were dated to 6,000 BC. High performance wooden bows are currently made following the Holmegaard design.

Around 3,300 BC Similian man (affectionately named Ötzi) was shot through the lung near the present-day border between Austria and Italy and was mummified by ice and the extreme cold. Among his preserved possessions were bone and flint tipped arrows and an unfinished yew longbow 1.82 m (72 in) tall.

Classical civilizations fielded large numbers of archers in their armies; archery was an important military and hunting skill before the use of gunpowder. Arrows were especially destructive against unarmoured masses and the use of archers often proved decisive. Mounted archers combined range with speed and mobility. Archery also figured prominently in the mythologies of many cultures.

In ancient Greece, the Cretans practiced archery and Cretan mercenary archers were in great demand. Crete was known for its unbroken tradition of archery. The Greek god Apollo is the god of archery, also of plague and the sun, metaphorically perceived as shooting invisible arrows, Artemis the goddess of wild places and hunting. Odysseus and other mythological figures such as Eros, the god of love, are often depicted with a bow. During the his invasion of India, Alexander the great personally took command of the shield-bearing guards, foot-companions, archers, Agrianians and horse-javelin-men and led them against the Kamboja clans, the AspasiOS of the Kunar valleys, the Guraeans of the Guraeus (Panjkora) valley, and the Assakenois of the Swat and Buner valleys.