▁( m ang onel ) ▁appeared , ▁there ▁is ▁virt ually ▁no ▁evidence ▁at ▁all , ▁whether ▁text ual ▁or ▁art istic , ▁of ▁t ors ion ▁engines ▁used ▁in ▁war fare . ▁The ▁last ▁historical ▁texts ▁specifying ▁a ▁t ors ion ▁engine ▁aside ▁from ▁the ▁spring ald ▁date ▁no ▁later ▁than ▁the ▁ 6 th ▁century . ▁ ▁Tra ction ▁tre buch et ▁and ▁on ager ▁Term in ology ▁and ▁definition ▁of ▁the ▁mang onel ▁is ▁confused . ▁The ▁term ▁itself ▁was ▁used ▁as ▁a ▁general ▁medieval ▁catch - all ▁for ▁stone ▁throwing ▁art illery , ▁which ▁probably ▁meant ▁a ▁tra ction ▁tre buch et ▁from ▁the ▁ 6 th ▁to ▁ 1 2 th ▁centuries , ▁between ▁the ▁disapp earance ▁of ▁the ▁on ager ▁and ▁the ▁arrival ▁of ▁the ▁counter weight ▁tre buch et . ▁In ▁modern ▁times ▁the ▁mang onel ▁is ▁often ▁confused ▁with ▁the ▁on ager ▁due ▁to ▁the ▁t ors ion ▁mang onel ▁myth , ▁hence ▁why ▁modern ▁military ▁histor ians ▁came ▁up ▁with ▁the ▁term ▁" tra ction ▁tre buch et " ▁to ▁distinguish ▁it ▁from ▁the ▁previous ▁weapon . ▁However ▁tra ction ▁tre buch et ▁is ▁a ▁newer ▁modern ▁term ▁that ▁is ▁not ▁found ▁in ▁contemporary ▁sources , ▁which ▁can ▁lead ▁to ▁further ▁confusion . ▁For ▁some , ▁the ▁mang onel ▁is ▁not ▁a ▁specific ▁type ▁of ▁sie ge ▁weapon ▁but ▁a ▁general ▁term ▁for ▁any ▁pre - c annon ▁stone ▁throwing ▁art illery . ▁On agers ▁have ▁been ▁called ▁on ager ▁mang on els ▁and