Earliest reference to the use of the bow?

[komtox]

Anyone know the earliest reference to the use of the bow ?

[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)

[Lowfat]

who thought of/invented the take down recurve bow and when ?

[english_archer]

Originally Posted by Lowfat

who thought of/invented the take down recurve bow and when ?

HHHHmmmmm good question Ive seen a few 2 piece steel bows which I believe were 1930s era but a modern style 3 piece take down Im not even going to guess (Id only get it wrong)But Id bet it was made in U.K. or U.S.A.

[pHz]

Originally Posted by Lowfat

who thought of/invented the take down recurve bow and when ?

http://www.student.utwente.nl/~sagi/...nge/hinge.html

?

slainte rob

[cliveanne]

Originally Posted by komtox

Anyone know the earliest reference to the use of the bow ?

I have read in "Chinese Archery" by Stephen Selby that the "Sport" goes back some 40,000yrs
Recently, whilst doing a google search archery came out at 30,000yrs
The Chinese were shooting repeating crossbows quite a while back http://www.atarn.org/chinese/rept_xbow.htm also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repeating_crossbow

[Schme1440]

Did you know that australia was the only country in the world not to have developed its own bow.

[Jimster71]

With so many animals having pouches over there, surely they must have developed a quiver?

[simon m]

Hardiy's "longbow" gives ereferences to bent sticks/slingshot hybrids but no confirmed pictorial etc.

Eqyptians definitely

[Raedwald]

Originally Posted by Lowfat

who thought of/invented the take down recurve bow and when ?

Dunno about a "take down recurve" but wasn't there a problem in Victorian times with longbows on public transport (some things never change!), which resulted in what was known as a "carriage bow" - basically, a take-down longbow. I think KG Archery might make/sell a replica.