Originally, the Bow and arrow were made as weapons consisting of a stave made of wood or other elastic material, bent, and held in tension by a string. The arrow is a thin wooden shaft with a feathered tail that is fitted to the string by a notch in the end of the shaft. When the arrow is drawn back until sufficient tension produced, the bow is released and the arrow is propelled forward. Arrowheads are made from a number of materials including stone, flint, metal, and other hard materials.
The origins of the bow and arrow or bows and arrows are prehistoric. From ancient times and throughout the Middle Ages in the Mediterranean world and Europe, the bow served as a military weapon. Bow and arrows were used for an even longer period in China, Japan and on the Eurasian Steppes. During the height of Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus’ prowess with the bow is decisive in his combat with Penelope’s suitors. The infantry of Greece and Rome disdained the bow because they were often beset by skillful enemy archers, especially those mounted on horseback.
The Huns, Seljuq Turks, Mongols, and other peoples of the Eurasian Steppes were very effective mounted archers. They wielded powerful composite recurved bows made of thin laths of wood that were stiffened at the rear with strips of horn and strengthened at the front with glued-on layers of cattle sinew. These bows were the most effective missile weapons of mounted combat until the revolving pistol.
During ancient times, the Europeans developed the crossbow, but it wasn’t perfected until the Middle Ages. In the 14th century, the English longbow was introduced to European battlefields, which made the arrow a formidable battlefield missile. The longbow bow originated in Wales, and was as tall as a man with an arrow about half that length with the famous cloth-yard shaft. The bow was held with an outstretched arm and the arrow drawn back to the bowman’s ear. An English archer had an effective range of approximately 200 yards and could shoot six aimed shots a minute.
The crossbow didn’t require any training. This bow consisted of a short bow mounted horizontally on a stock or tiller, with a sear and trigger to hold the string in a drawn position, and it was released on demand. This particular bow was less accurate than the longbow or composite bow in skilled hands; however, crossbows were effective for short and medium ranges.
For many cultures including the North American Indians, the Eskimo or Inuit, and many African peoples, the bow’s importance in warfare was secondary to its value as a hunting weapon. The North American Indians, the Eskimo, many African peoples, and others used the regular bow or the crossbow for both hunting and war. Generally, African bow makers produced small bows because ranges in the African jungle were usually short. The Eskimo or Inuit used composite bows of wood and bone backed by sinew, similar to most bows made in Asia. The Native American Indian bows were made of either wood or wood backed by sinew. Bows were also made of compositions of several materials, such as wood and horn or wood and metal. These Indian bows were often wrapped in buckskin or deer hide and decorated with beads made of bone or shell. Modern composite bows are constructed out of laminated wood, plastic, or fiberglass. The cable and pulleys on the modern compound bow have increased the accuracy and power of the bow. Today, many sport hunters prefer the bow to firearms, and then there are others who hunt with both weapons.
The string of the bow and arrow may be made of a variety of materials as long as it is a tough. Bowstrings have a wide range of variation in materials. The English longbow usually had a string of linen or hemp, and the Turkish and Arab bows were strung with mohair and silk. Bamboo, vegetable fiber, rattan, and animal sinew or hide have been used in many parts of the world.
There is an even greater variation exhibited among arrows. Primarily, the shaft is a single piece, but often two different materials, such as wood and metal, are combined. The actual arrowhead, which is made of metal, stone, bone, or shell, may be attached by socketing, cementing, or both. A grouping of feathers or fletches of feathers as well as other substitutes, including leaves and pieces of leather or fur, are used to stabilize the flight of the arrow. For the arrows with heavy foreshafts, they may not have feathers.
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