Bow and Arrow

   Used by virtually all cultures and often ranked as one of the most important inventions in history, the bow was a major hunting tool and weapon of warfare around the world from prehistoric times until the introduction of firearms. As the first projectile weapon capable of storing energy, the bow was a more powerful and effective device than earlier hand-thrown and missile weapons and became vital to combat and subsistence activities.

    The importance of the bow and arrow, chronicled in numerous written and oral histories, artistic representations, literature, and folklore, is reflected in the many archery traditions and practices that have continued through to modern times.

    Exactly when and where the bow and arrow was first developed, and the means by which it was introduced throughout the world, is unclear. Scenes of archers with bows and arrows are common in prehistoric rock-art sites in Africa and Europe, but dating these types of finds is difficult. Early archaeological evidence is equally ambiguous. Because archery equipment consists of perishable materials, often little or none of it appears in the archaeological record except for arrow points. Small projectile points found at Old World Upper Paleolithic sites may be the earliest evidence of bow-and-arrow technology   but their function is indefinite; they could have served as tips for either arrows or darts.

    The first direct evidence of prehistoric archery comes from Mesolithic bog sites in Europe. Wooden arrow shafts found at Stellmoor, Germany, date around the ninth millennium B.C. and have shallow, rectangular nocks for fitting with a bowstring wood fragments also discovered at the site may be remnants of bows of the same age (Rausing 1997: 33). The earliest specimens clearly identified as bows have been recovered from Holmegaard, Denmark. Dating around 6,000 B.C., the Holmegaard bows are single staves of elm and range in length from 150 to 180 centimeters.

Artistic representations and early texts establish the importance of the bow in the ancient Mediterranean world and early dynastic China. Huns,Mongols, and other nomadic groups from the Eurasian steppes used the bow and arrow on horseback to dominate large parts of Asia and Europe for hundreds of years beginning about the first century. The crossbow and English longbow were widely used throughout much of Europe from the Middle Ages until the introduction of firearms. Among historic peoples in Africa, Asia, the Americas, and among some Oceanic groups, the bow and arrow enjoyed widespread use as a hunting and combat weapon, and it has remained in use among many tribal peoples through the modern period.

   Although use of the bow and arrow for military and hunting activities declined after the introduction of firearms, archery has survived, or been revived, as an art and sport in many countries. Recreational archery has a long history. Sport archery was practiced by athletes of ancient Greece and Egypt and was popular among the horse archers of the Middle East from the medieval period and later. In East Asia, competitive archery developed as a martial art and ritual practice that supported social order and spirituality. Archery tournaments were a feature of European festivals and celebrations by the Middle Ages, and many organizations were created to promote archery activities. During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the Western traditions of recreational archery evolved into the modern sport of archery that is practiced worldwide today .

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