Perriere is a small hurling machine which shoots projectiles using force of human muscles. They were usually located on the top of ramparts and walls so that they could be used to shoot on a great distance making it difficult for assailants to get closer to the stormed fortress. Stone bullets weighting a couple of kilograms, but also fragments of destroyed walls and wooden beams were shoot to the distance of 100 metres with a frequency of five shots per minute. So, for the Middle Ages it was a rapid-firing weapon and thanks to the skilled handling also a very effective one.
Chronology: from the 8th/9th to the 15th century.