a history of bows

8/6/2019 A History of Bows

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A brief History of Bows

Bows and archery have been recorded and carbon dated as far back9,000 years. The pieces found in European peat bogs attest to thecreativity, adaptability and intelligence of our ancient forefathers whenit came to making bows. These weapons where needed in criticalpursuit of food as well as defense in warfare. Despite the bow’sutilitarian qualities, its aesthetic value was just as important to theancient archer. Some bows where richly paint and adorned withprecious metals and jewels signifying the rank and prestige of theowner. These bows which where highly prized where often buried withthe owner when they died.

Bows where produced by early man around the world. Nubians inAfrica, Anglo Saxons, Egyptians, Pueblos, South Americans and NativeAmerican Indians all had a bow specific to there own regions andneeds. Some cut from a single piece of wood some crafted frommultiple kinds of wood plus many types finishes and wrappingdepending on the environment and resources of the maker. Theprimitive bowyer and archer depended upon select trees for wood,stone for points, animals for glue, sinew, and feathers, even the soil,air and water - in short the community of life and land.

Prehistoric Bows:

The Stellmoor bow, found in a bog in Southern Germany includednotched arrow shafts, arrow points and two pieces of wood that looklike limb tips of a stone age bow, the pieces are about 11,000 yearsold. Wounds in bird skeletons found at the site show that the tipswhere most likely flint. The bows themselves where made from pine.

The ancient Holmegaard bow was also found in a bog but inCopenhagen it was found complete and is the very oldest completebow found in the world to date. It is 5 ½ feet long this one is about4000 – 5,000 years old made from elm. Modern reconstruction of thisbow makes it about 27-inch draw with a 50-pound pull.



Most of the Stone Age and older artifacts are clustered in the lowlandsin and around bogs in Southern England, Denmark, and NorthernGermany and around the Swiss lakes.

The Americas:

Bows of the woodland & plains people, the Cherokee, Algonkian,Wampanoag, Choctaw peoples where traditionally a flat bow some 65inches long from nock to nock. The American Indians have been usingthis type of bow since the first Indians crossed the Bering Straits fromEurope. Some people call it the American Longbow.

These bows where made with many types of materials depending of what was available locally. Hickory, Pine, Osage, Yew and Oak where just some of the materials used. The tips of these bows wheresometimes carved with a human figure and may represent the “ Spiritwatching over the hunt. A turtle was sometimes carved in the handleand the bow hand was place under it. In many creation myths theturtle is sometimes a symbol of the “foundation” of the earth. Somebows made by the Northern tribes (Chinook) where beautifully paintedwith ceremonial designs.



Europe:

The English longbow in its many variations of stacked and flats limbs

descend from antiquity. The British in the medieval wars astutely usedthe military longbow with deadly accuracy. For many it conjures up thevisage of Robin Hood, the strong Yeomen of Agincourt and Creacy-mighty archers who pulled the Mary Rose war bows (150# draw)decimating the French mounted Knights in battle.

The English inherited the basics of the longbow from ancient bowyers. The English yew wood did make superior bows but the idea was notnew. So why is it called the English longbow? There are several

reasons. The English fighting forces used the bow to full advantage inbattle using large numbers of archers for specialized tactics such asthe rain of arrows and specialized heads for different purposes. Inaddition to this deadly force the English bowyer added a reinforcementof the horn tip, which allows the bow to be more tapered, so they werelower in mass and a better cast.



Padded handle grips and strike plates were attached and wear to thesides reduced. The bowyers also cut from the center of a stave ratherthen the perimeter they also may have been responsible for overalllengthening of the English bow. Some of these wars bows where verylarge over 6 feet and had a draw of 170 pounds. But normally theywhere about 73 inches tip to tip with a 50# draw.

Italian armies used the Renaissance Longbow in the 14th and 15th

century. A set back handle with recurved limbs was a popular designfor this period, even appearing in many Italian art works. Sketches byLeonardo da Vinci for the late 1400`s portray the saddle back handleand recurved limbs. These bows where normally 70 inches long with a28-inch draw.



Asia:

The Magyar bow, one of the most widely researched and re-createdAsian bows has its archeological record in the Carpathian Basin. TheBasin has been invaded by horse–archers from the steppes of CentralAsia for some time. The Scythains invaded around the time of Christ,the Huns in 300 and 400 AD, the Avars from 600- 900 AD and theMagyar (later to called Hungarians) in the late 900`s. Most of thearchery artifacts have been found in graves located in caves. Theworking parts of the bow are made up of wood, horn and sinew.

The composite bow tips or siyahs are bone plated and so are the bowhandles. The bow was normally 61 1/2 inches long fired fromhorseback. These bows where even more powerful then the Englishwars bows at close range able to drive through plate metal armor atclose range.



The Japanese Yumi, a very long 7 – 8 foot asymmetrical all wood bowsvaries in length from 83 inches to 97 inches depending on the archer’s

height. By the 14 to 15th

century the Japanese where masters atmaking the laminated asymmetrical limbs. The back and the belly of the bow are formed of two strips of bamboo in running the full lengthof the bow. Sandwiched between the two halves are five squarebamboo strips of about a ¼ inch thick running the length of the bow. Ahardwood strip is then added to the two sides or edges to preventtwisting. The bow is finished with a natural Japanese lacquer from thesap of a tree in the sumac family. Some bows are wrapped at periodicspaces along the limbs with reed. Archery developed into a highlyritualized marital art called“ Kyudo”(way of the bow) and drew uponthe Zen and Shinto tenets of spirit, energy, concentration, discipline

and perfected behavior which included, breathing, timing, andmovement. All of these “perfected behaviors” were all called upon inKyudo to even draw the bow properly. It took months to even developthe muscles and breath control required to draw these powerful bows.

Although this collegium covers only a small portion of the bows inAncient History I have collected information on the ones that are mostinteresting to me and hope you found them interesting also.

The Falconer.

a history of bows

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