Bow is the first accurate remote-control weapon invented by man. There is evidence that this amazing mechanism served our distant ancestors thousands of years ago. On the walls of ancient caves you can see scenes of war and hunting using primitive bows. This elegant small arms goes side by side with humanity through its entire history. We can safely say that the invention of onions completely changed the life of a person. Hunting has become much easier, and wars have acquired a completely new character.
Military traditions
Many peoples had their own, unlike other bow designs, due to the materials available in the area where they lived, and the tasks that the weapons had to perform. A special skill in the creation and use of these small arms was achieved by the eastern peoples. It was in Asia that the composite bow, consisting of various materials, was invented and enjoyed popularity. When creating such a weapon, materials obtained by hunting were actively used. Often onions included the tendons of animals, as well as their bones and horns.
Nomadic tribes still have traditions that every man must be a good shooter, as well as a skilled rider. Shooting from a traditional bow is not an easy task, requiring strength and concentration. The nomadic peoples of Asia still have competitions between men and young men in which they compete in shooting, horse riding and the art of wrestling. Oddly enough, but onions are still actively used for food production around the globe.
Types of Traditional Bows
There are two main varieties into which traditional onion is divided. This is a regular straight bow, known to all from films about Robin Hood and England. The second, more progressive model is the recursive bow. It was with a direct bow that the history of small arms began, since its design is as simple and straightforward as possible. It is made of a single piece of wood and is not very strong and durable. Such a product could be kept in good shape for only a few months, after which destructive processes began that turned a deadly weapon into a useless piece of wood. For direct archery, a lot of physical strength was required, since it had impressive dimensions and did not help the shooter in any way.
A recursive bow has a more thoughtful design. His horns are bent to the side opposite to the archer, which significantly increases the strength of the weapon. When the bowstring is pulled, the horns straighten, thereby increasing the power and speed with which the arrow flies out. Recursive bows were more modern and destructive weapons than straight ones.
English long bow
This amazing weapon has overgrown with a huge number of myths and legends, glorifying its incredible power. Not all of these stories are true, but there is some truth in them. The material from which this model of traditional onion was made was yew. But the English breed of this tree was unsuitable for creating weapons, so the British had to import materials from Spain and Italy. This slightly increased the cost of onions, but its popularity did not suffer at all from it. Although the weapon was created from a single piece of yew, it contained different layers of this tree. The outer side of the bow must withstand a strong tensile load, while the inner side must be resistant to strong compression. Therefore, the bow was made so that the outside was the external, elastic part of the tree, and on the arrow side there was a core capable of withstanding specific loads.
An arrow from this legendary weapon could fly about 100 bow lengths. It seems to be a short distance, but do not forget that the English long bow got its name for a reason. The disadvantages of the primitive design were offset by impressive dimensions. Unfortunately, such a bow required great physical strength and excellent preparation from the shooter. Archers began their studies from early childhood and spent many years trying to achieve mastery in this art.
Longbow in battle
Naturally, a long bow was not a purely English weapon, but it was in this country that this weapon reached perfection. In England, straight bows were made about two meters long, which could withstand a decent load, while in the rest of Europe guns of this design rarely exceeded 1.5 meters. When trying to create large models, the strength of the structure was lost, and only the British managed to make a classic bow so that it was long and did not break.
In the XIII century in England, all free people were allowed to have a long bow, as well as to learn how to shoot from it. Of course, this decision of the king threatened his power, but soon it fully paid off. When the Hundred Years War between England and France began, the British had many trained archers ready to join the battle. Therefore, the British army did not experience a shortage of skilled shooters. Moreover, this state of affairs made it possible to select only the best archers in the army, which led to high efficiency.
The strength of the English onion
An arrow fired from a long bow could easily kill a person when hit accurately. But on the battlefield it was not easy to meet a man without armor or chain mail. What happened to them when an English archer hit? It is proved that an arrow fired from a long bow can penetrate chain mail. Much here depends on the angle of impact and distance, but the fact is that chain mail is not able to protect from a skilled shooter.
Strong metal armor, which is simply impossible to pierce from a bow, is another matter. A classic bow can pierce a thin metal plate, but it can’t cope with a thick layer of hardened steel, and even rounded in shape. At the same time, English bows did not lose their relevance, since not one armor can protect all parts of the body.
Another important issue is the rate of fire. As you know, the average rate of fire of an English archer was about 10-12 arrows per minute. A pretty good result for a medieval shooter. True, the accuracy of firing from a long bow was not as high as that of modern models, but the task for archers of that time was different.
Asian onion
Eastern models of traditional small arms were shorter than their European "counterparts." This is due to the fact that in Asia mainly recursive onions were used, and not direct. Also, the tasks that were set for archers from those parts were fundamentally different from what the arrows from the west were doing. In the life of nomads, horses occupied an important place. Horse archers were an incredibly strong fighting unit, since they could shower an enemy with a hail of arrows with impunity. This determines the design of the bow used in the eastern latitudes. The classic nomad bow was significantly shorter than the European one. However, thanks to its design, it remained a formidable weapon.
For shooting from such a bow less physical strength was required than for the English version of this weapon. But since it had a different design, it was made completely differently. If the production of a direct onion took hours of work, then its eastern counterpart was created from different materials. This seriously increased labor costs and time.
Create Mongolian Onion
One of the most perfect tools of antiquity is the Mongolian traditional bow. The handle of this weapon was made from carefully dried birch. Two wooden horns were attached to it, which gave the main strength to the arrow, bending from the tension of the bowstring. From the inside, all this beauty was pasted over with horn plates. For these purposes, the boiled horn of a cow, yak or buffalo was usually taken.
The outer part of the onion was pasted over with animal tendons for maximum elasticity. This process took a lot of time, since the bones and veins glued gradually, layer by layer. The next one was applied only after the previous layer was completely dry. This led to the fact that the traditional Mongolian onion was created within 1-2 years. But it can be safely called the perfect small arms of the time.
Quiver for arrows
This constant archer accessory is no less important than the bow itself. It should provide the most comfortable and fast shooting, without restricting the movement of the owner. Basically, quivers for arrows were mounted on the belt or on the back of the shooter. European archers carried about 50 arrows in them, while Asian archers carried only 30. The shooter could have both a shoulder and a belt quiver with him to store different types of arrows in them. They were usually placed there with the plumage up to make the process of boom extraction as easy as possible.
Horse archers were recommended to have at least two quivers with them. One with small and light arrows, and the other with large, large arrows. A quiver for arrows could have a different shape and length, which often depended on the archer's physique.
Arrows
Arrows, like the bow itself, evolved with man, turning into a perfect murder weapon. At first they were primitive and were created from the simplest materials. The tips of such arrows were wooden, bone and even stone. The plumage also did not appear immediately, so it can be assumed that the ancient arrow for the traditional bow was heavy and unstable. Over time, bronze tips and then solid steel tips appeared.
The shape of arrowheads has also been constantly improved. If at first arrows with flat or leaf-shaped tips prevailed, then in later years their place was taken by more advanced faceted designs. Each archer had several types of arrows with him for different purposes.
Modern models
Modern bows are much more convenient, accurate and more powerful than traditional ones. They use high-tech materials, and the design of such weapons is somewhat different from older models. A modern sports bow is equipped with a block system that takes up most of the load from the bowstring tension. This is especially felt when it is stretched as much as possible. Also, a modern bow has a sight, allowing accurate shooting. Therefore, shooting from such an assembly is more reminiscent of a firearm than a traditional bow.
Modern sports bows are superior to their "ancestors" in everything. They shoot further and more precisely, an arrow fired from a new weapon flies much faster and has tremendous power. And learning to shoot from a modern bow is easier. Fortunately, this did not supplant traditional models; they simply occupied another niche.
Archery
Oddly enough, the traditional bow remains a relevant weapon to this day. Thousands of people around the globe are learning the mastery of these ancient weapons. It’s more of a hobby than a profession in our country, while wild tribes use it with might and main for hunting and war in places not yet disfigured by civilization. Modern archers hone their skills in the same way as their predecessors. They train a lot to bring their wonderful art to perfection.
If you are interested in archery, then you can easily purchase it on the Internet or in a sports store. Making onions to order will cost more than buying a finished product, but it will be perfectly tailored to your data. The main thing is the desire to learn the unique art of ancient warriors. It doesn't matter if the traditional bow is in your hands or modern, the pleasure you get from shooting is the common goal of modern archers.