Firearms
Musket
The musket, invented towards the end of this era, was a revolutionary weapon. Bows decreased in usage, and more muskets were used. The matchlock, which was the earlier version, was ignited with a match, was slow and difficult to reload. The flintlock, which came later, used flint instead, and worked well but was prone to misfires ("Evolution of Weapons").
Cannon
The cannon, also developed around the same time as the musket, began to replace the earlier heavy artillery, such as the trebuchet and ballista. It was made of bronze or iron, and fired stone or iron (Mahabal).