Earliest reference to the use of the bow?

[Raedwald]

Originally Posted by english_archer

Ive seen pictures of cave paintings showing bows used for hunting not sure on a date but it must be a 3000 years maybe (probably some of them still shooting field though lol)

Cave paintings are going to be a lot older than that!!

[hypertigger]

i did some research for my thesis:

evidence of arrow heads as early as 50,000bc, oldest known surviving bow dates to 7000-8000BC
the apollo martin (2 piece steel thing) was produced in teh 1950s

[Tarkwin]

A couple of books** I've read have had repro's of cave painitings. There are one or two bows (well thought to be parts of bows) that are thousands of years old, recovered from marshland.


From the pictures - assuming that they are accurate, several forms of bow were commonly depicted, a recurve, a longbow, a shortbow similr to the east european composite bows and a style that has no direct decendant in current usage.

The archers would carry the bow and his spare arrows in one hand..

I'll shut up now..


T.

** longbow - Robert Hardy & The crooked stick - Hugh Soar. - both excellent studies, though not light reading..

[pHz]

Originally Posted by Tarkwin

and a style that has no direct decendant in current usage.

that sounds intriguing - unless of course theres a VERY good reason it fell out of use

slainte : rob

[english_archer]

Originally Posted by Raedwald

Cave paintings are going to be a lot older than that!!

yep your right I guess I didnt hit enough 0s lol

[Raedwald]

Originally Posted by english_archer

yep your right I guess I didnt hit enough 0s lol

must........ resist........ the........ temptation........

[english_archer]

Dont resist Raedwald I usually deserve all i get