The mention of the bow and arrow or archery was first mentioned in literature, or more aptly, cave drawings. The first traces of the bow and arrow as weapons in place of the spear is found in the dark sands of Africa, dating 25,000 years ago. It could, however, been more than 50,000 years ago that they were used. Arrowheads made of stone have recently been excavated in Africa giving hope to this theory. No bows really survive from this far back, in spite of such findings. The reason: these were made often of wood and animal skins, pelts and guts.
If we look farther north, we know that the Egyptians used archery throughout their history, though they developed the bows from a tougher wood. These warriors, however, moved beyond stone to tip their arrows with bronze. These were the first peoples believed to have successfully used the longbow, putting more than 150 pounds behind a shot arrow. At about the same time, we see that the Israelites used bow and arrows throughout the history of archery. They used wood, reed and water buffalo horns in the development of their bow and arrows. The Mongols also used archery tactics in battle, using rings, stirrups and saddles that allowed more range for shooting.
Centuries came and went and nearly every society as far west as the Americas and as far east as China used some mechanism that resembled that of the bow and arrow. These eastern countries were probably some of the best archers in the world. Through archery history, they have successfully mastered archery into other facets, such as martial arts, through times of war and times of peace. The French and English used the bow and arrow in battle against each other well into the 15th century. Even in the face of newer technology, which quickly eradicated the use of such mundane weapons in battle, archery was considered a worthwhile skill, even later used by the upper crust for sport.
Archery history can be seen in cartoons and reenactments in films such as Robin Hood. Probably the best actor/archer in history was Howard Hill. Hill shot stones out of mid-air, apples out of bystander’s hands and small targets on moving people. Had he lived in the heights of archery history, he would have been a leader among men. Today, archery is a valued skill and necessary sport, but the days of war by such weapons are over. Archery, though, will remain a big part of our nature till the end of time.
Tags: bow history
