You've been consumed by modernity's temporal chauvinism and discounted civilizations such as the Scythians. The Iroquois are also interesting as their oral tradition spoke of at one time having a ballista that could sink ships and steel swords, which is corroborated by the Norse accounts who lost a ship to them, before a pacifist prophet convinced them to abandon the technology.

You've been consumed my modernity's temporal chauvinism and discounted civilizations such as the Scythians. The Iroquois are also interesting as their oral tradition spoke of at one time having a ballista that could sink ships and steel swords, which is corroborated by the Norse accounts who lost a ship to them, before a pacifist prophet convinced them to abandon the technology.