COMPOSITE BOW
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A 'composite bow' is a bow made from disparate materials laminated together, usually applied under tension. Different materials are used in order to take advantage of the properties of each material.
This article describes mainly the traditional Asiatic composite bow, which normally uses horn on the belly and sinew on the back of a wooden core. Sinew and horn will store more energy than wood for the same length of bow. The strength can be made similar to that of all-wood bows, with similar draw-length and therefore a similar or greater amount of energy delivered to the arrow from a much shorter bow. Some Mongolian composite bows are known to have been able to produce a draw weight of nearly 160 lb. That can be compared to the approximately 80–180 pounds of the European longbow which was about twice as long. Almost all composite bows are also recurve bows as the shape curves back away from the archer; this design gives higher draw-weight in the early stages of the archer's draw, so storing somewhat more total energy for a given final draw-weight. It would be possible to make a bow of wood that has the same shape, length and draw-weight as a traditional composite bow, but it could not store the energy and would break at full draw.
The main advantage of composite bows over self bows (made from a single piece of wood) is their combination of smaller size with high power. They are therefore much more suitable for use from horseback, and presumably from a chariot. They also have disadvantages. Their construction requires much more time and a greater variety of materials than self bows, and the animal glue traditionally used can lose strength in humid conditions and be ruined by submersion.
Water buffalo horn is very suitable, as is horn of several antelopes such as gemsbok, oryx, ibex, and that of Hungarian grey cattle. Goat and sheep horn can also be used. Most forms of cow horn are not suitable, as they soon break up in use.
The wooden core is not normally under severe mechanical stress, and a wide variety of woods should be suitable.
The sinew is normally obtained from the lower legs and back of wild deer or domestic ungulates.
Hide glue or gelatin made from fish gas bladders is used to attach layers of sinew to the back of the bow. Traditionally it is also used to attach the horn belly to the wooden core.
Other less-satisfactory materials than horn have been used for the belly of the bow (the part facing the archer when shooting), including bone, antler, or compression resistant woods such as osage orange, hornbeam, or yew. Materials that are strong under tension, such as silk, or tough wood like hickory, have been used on the back of the bow (the part facing away from the archer when shooting).
Composite bows may have been invented first by the nomads of the Asiatic steppe, perhaps ancestors of the Xiongnu, who may have based it on earlier Northern Asian laminated bows. Composite bows were first introduced in Mesopotamian warfare around 2350 BC and were adopted by the Chinese Shang dynasty about 800 years later. Their first appearance coincides with the adoption of the horse to draw chariots or as a riding animal. The Scythian bow [1], with working tips, was the dominant form for millennia in the area between China and Europe. Composite bows were widely used by the cavalry archers of the Parthians, Turks, Mongols and other Asiatic nomads, for whom horseback archery was an essential part of their normal way of life. However, composite bows were soon adopted by civilizations, such as the Chinese, Assyrian, Indian, and Egyptian, who came into contact with nomads. Horse archers such as the Scythians, Mongols, Seljuk Turks and Parthians often used skirmishing tactics where they would approach, shoot, and retreat. [2] The term Parthian shot refers to the widespread horse-archer tactic of shooting backwards over the rear of their horses as they retreated.
Iranian people who migrated from Central Asia and Southern Europe and settled modern Iran, brought horse archery and improved composite bows to the Middle East. Aryan nomads such as Scythians, Sakas, and Sarmatians were skilled archers. Parthians, originally a Scythian tribe, were famed horse archers. Parthians inflicted several devastating defeats on Romans, the first being the Battle of Carrhae.
At some time before the end of the Roman Republic, it became usual to stiffen the ends of composite bows using laths of bone or antler. The resulting bows with their stiff ends or "siyahs", became standard from China to the Middle East, and under the Roman Empire were made even in the cold and damp of Britannia. They were the normal weapon of Roman archers, both infantry and cavalry units, although Vegetius recommends training recruits "arcubus ligneis", with wooden bows, which may have been made in the northern European longbow tradition.[3] It has been suggested that Roman composite bows may have been asymmetric, with lower limbs shorter than the upper. [4] This combines the power of a longer bow with the convenience of a shorter one. Similar stiffeners for bows with rigid siyahs are found associated with nomads of the time, such as the Alans and Huns, whose ancestors may well have invented them. The Huns and their successors greatly impressed their neighbours with their archery. Germanic tribes transmitted their respect orally for a millennium; in the Scandinavian Hervarar saga, the Geatish king Gizur taunts the Huns and says:
Eigi gera Húnar oss felmtraða né hornbogar yðrir.
We fear neither the Huns nor their hornbows.
The Romans were so impressed that, as described in the Strategikon, Procopius's histories, and other works, they changed the entire emphasis of their army, from heavy infantry to cavalry, many of them armed with bows. After the fall of the Western empire, Eastern Roman armies maintained their tradition of horse archery for centuries. They finally fell to the Turks before the decline of military archery in favour of guns. Turkish armies included archers until about 1591, and flight archery remained a popular sport in Istanbul until the early 1800s.[5]
Later developments in the composite bow included siyahs made as a continuation of the wooden core of the bow, rather than strengthened by external reinforcement.
Most modern documentation of the use and construction of composite bows comes from China and the Middle East; until reforms early in the 20th century, skill with the composite bow was an essential part of the qualification for officers in the Chinese Imperial army.
Modern replicas of traditional composite bows are commercially available; they are usually made with fiberglass on both belly and back, easier to mass-produce and easier to take care of than traditional composite bows.
In northern America at first contact, some bows already had sinew backing. After the re-introduction of horses, newly-mounted groups rapidly developed shorter bows which were often given sinew backing. The full three-layer composite bow with horn, wood, and sinew does not seem to be recorded in the Americas, and horn bows with sinew backing are not recorded before European contact. [6]
The Chinese archery tradition goes back millennia. In general, Chinese composite bows derive from the same nomad origins as other Eurasian composite bows, but there is also a long tradition of local developments. [7]
Main articles: Hungarian bow
The Hungarian bow is a fairly long, symmetrical, composite reflex bow.
Main articles: Korean bow
A traditional modern Korean bow, or gakgung, is a small but very efficient horn-bamboo-sinew composite bow. Korean archers normally practice at a range of approximately 144 metres.
Main articles: Mongol bow
The Mongol bow is the type most often referred to as the typical Asian recurve bow, made as a composite bow, from ibex or (more traditionally) water buffalo horn,sinew, birch wood and bark. The principal technical difference used to distinguish a "Mongol bow" from a "Hungarian bow" is the presence of a string "bridge" or "run"—an attachment of horn or wood, used to hold the string a little further apart from the bow's limbs. This attachment should give a small increase in the speed of the arrow, by increasing the initial string angle and therefore the force of the draw in its early stages. It is an interesting fact that during the time of Genghis Khan's conquests, the Mongol bows did not have string bridges yet. These were a later adoption from the Manchurian ("Qing dynasty") bows of northwestern China.[8]
The Mongolian tradition of archery is attested by an inscription on a stone stele that was found near Nerchinsk in Siberia: "While Genghis Khan was holding an assembly of Mongolian dignitaries, after his conquest of Sartaul (East Turkestan), Esungge (the son of Genghis Khan's brother) shot a target at 335 alds (536 m)."
Until today, archery with traditional composite bows is part of the annual festival of the three virile sports (Wrestling, Horseriding, Archery), called "Naadam".
Main articles: Perso-Parthian bow
The Perso-Parthian bow is a symmetric recurve under high tension when strung. The "arms" of the bow are supposed to reflex far enough to cross each other when the bow is unstrung. The finished bow is covered by bark, fine leather, or in some cases shark skin, to keep out moisture. Traditionally, ox tendons are considered inferior to wild game sinews since they have a higher fat content, leading to spoilage.
Perso-Parthian bows were in use as late as 1820s in Persia (ancient Iran). They were then replaced by muskets.
★ Crossbow
★ English longbow
★ Longbow
★ Flatbow
★ Archery
★ Horse archer
★ Self bow
★ Compound bow
★ Laminated bow
★ Recurve bow
★ Decurve bow
★ Deflex bow
★ Reflex bow
★ (1992) ''The Traditional Bowyers Bible Volume 1''. The Lyons Press. ISBN 1-58574-085-3
★ (1992) ''The Traditional Bowyers Bible Volume 2''. The Lyons Press. ISBN 1-58574-086-1
★ (1994) ''The Traditional Bowyers Bible Volume 3''. The Lyons Press. ISBN 1-58574-087-X
1. http://www.atarn.org/chinese/scythian_bows.htm
2. Maurice's Strategikon: Handbook of Byzantine Military Strategy.
by George T. Dennis (Translator) ISBN-10: 0812217721 ISBN-13: 978-0812217728
3. http://www.intratext.com/IXT/LAT0189/_PG.HTM
4. Roman Military Equipment from the Punic Wars to the Fall of Rome (Paperback). M.C. Bishop, J.C. Coulston. Oxbow Books 2005. ISBN-10: 1842171593 ISBN-13: 978-1842171592
5. Turkish Archery and the Composite Bow, second edition. Paul E. Klopsteg, published by the author, Evanston, IL 1947
6. American Indian Archery. Reginald Laubin, Gladys Laubin. University of Oklahoma Press 1980. ISBN-10: 0806114673 ISBN-13: 978-0806114675
7. Chinese Archery (Paperback). Stephen Selby. Hong Kong University Press 2000. ISBN-10: 9622095011 ISBN-13: 978-9622095014
8. Archery Traditions of Asia. Stephen Selby. Publisher: Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence 2003. ISBN/Code: 9627039470
★ The Asian Traditional Archery Research network
★ Ancient Composite Bows
★ Making an Asiatic Composite Bow
★ Five composite bows from the tomb of Tutankhamun
★ The Composite Bow
★ Ju Yuan Hao Chinese Bow and Arrow - the only remaining Chinese bow maker
★ Grozer Archery - fiberglass and traditional composite bows
★ Kassai fibreglass bows
This article describes mainly the traditional Asiatic composite bow, which normally uses horn on the belly and sinew on the back of a wooden core. Sinew and horn will store more energy than wood for the same length of bow. The strength can be made similar to that of all-wood bows, with similar draw-length and therefore a similar or greater amount of energy delivered to the arrow from a much shorter bow. Some Mongolian composite bows are known to have been able to produce a draw weight of nearly 160 lb. That can be compared to the approximately 80–180 pounds of the European longbow which was about twice as long. Almost all composite bows are also recurve bows as the shape curves back away from the archer; this design gives higher draw-weight in the early stages of the archer's draw, so storing somewhat more total energy for a given final draw-weight. It would be possible to make a bow of wood that has the same shape, length and draw-weight as a traditional composite bow, but it could not store the energy and would break at full draw.
The main advantage of composite bows over self bows (made from a single piece of wood) is their combination of smaller size with high power. They are therefore much more suitable for use from horseback, and presumably from a chariot. They also have disadvantages. Their construction requires much more time and a greater variety of materials than self bows, and the animal glue traditionally used can lose strength in humid conditions and be ruined by submersion.
Materials
Water buffalo horn is very suitable, as is horn of several antelopes such as gemsbok, oryx, ibex, and that of Hungarian grey cattle. Goat and sheep horn can also be used. Most forms of cow horn are not suitable, as they soon break up in use.
The wooden core is not normally under severe mechanical stress, and a wide variety of woods should be suitable.
The sinew is normally obtained from the lower legs and back of wild deer or domestic ungulates.
Hide glue or gelatin made from fish gas bladders is used to attach layers of sinew to the back of the bow. Traditionally it is also used to attach the horn belly to the wooden core.
Other less-satisfactory materials than horn have been used for the belly of the bow (the part facing the archer when shooting), including bone, antler, or compression resistant woods such as osage orange, hornbeam, or yew. Materials that are strong under tension, such as silk, or tough wood like hickory, have been used on the back of the bow (the part facing away from the archer when shooting).
History
Origins, working tips
Composite bows may have been invented first by the nomads of the Asiatic steppe, perhaps ancestors of the Xiongnu, who may have based it on earlier Northern Asian laminated bows. Composite bows were first introduced in Mesopotamian warfare around 2350 BC and were adopted by the Chinese Shang dynasty about 800 years later. Their first appearance coincides with the adoption of the horse to draw chariots or as a riding animal. The Scythian bow [1], with working tips, was the dominant form for millennia in the area between China and Europe. Composite bows were widely used by the cavalry archers of the Parthians, Turks, Mongols and other Asiatic nomads, for whom horseback archery was an essential part of their normal way of life. However, composite bows were soon adopted by civilizations, such as the Chinese, Assyrian, Indian, and Egyptian, who came into contact with nomads. Horse archers such as the Scythians, Mongols, Seljuk Turks and Parthians often used skirmishing tactics where they would approach, shoot, and retreat. [2] The term Parthian shot refers to the widespread horse-archer tactic of shooting backwards over the rear of their horses as they retreated.
Iranian people who migrated from Central Asia and Southern Europe and settled modern Iran, brought horse archery and improved composite bows to the Middle East. Aryan nomads such as Scythians, Sakas, and Sarmatians were skilled archers. Parthians, originally a Scythian tribe, were famed horse archers. Parthians inflicted several devastating defeats on Romans, the first being the Battle of Carrhae.
Siyahs, stiff tips
At some time before the end of the Roman Republic, it became usual to stiffen the ends of composite bows using laths of bone or antler. The resulting bows with their stiff ends or "siyahs", became standard from China to the Middle East, and under the Roman Empire were made even in the cold and damp of Britannia. They were the normal weapon of Roman archers, both infantry and cavalry units, although Vegetius recommends training recruits "arcubus ligneis", with wooden bows, which may have been made in the northern European longbow tradition.[3] It has been suggested that Roman composite bows may have been asymmetric, with lower limbs shorter than the upper. [4] This combines the power of a longer bow with the convenience of a shorter one. Similar stiffeners for bows with rigid siyahs are found associated with nomads of the time, such as the Alans and Huns, whose ancestors may well have invented them. The Huns and their successors greatly impressed their neighbours with their archery. Germanic tribes transmitted their respect orally for a millennium; in the Scandinavian Hervarar saga, the Geatish king Gizur taunts the Huns and says:
Eigi gera Húnar oss felmtraða né hornbogar yðrir.
We fear neither the Huns nor their hornbows.
The Romans were so impressed that, as described in the Strategikon, Procopius's histories, and other works, they changed the entire emphasis of their army, from heavy infantry to cavalry, many of them armed with bows. After the fall of the Western empire, Eastern Roman armies maintained their tradition of horse archery for centuries. They finally fell to the Turks before the decline of military archery in favour of guns. Turkish armies included archers until about 1591, and flight archery remained a popular sport in Istanbul until the early 1800s.[5]
Integral wooden siyahs
Later developments in the composite bow included siyahs made as a continuation of the wooden core of the bow, rather than strengthened by external reinforcement.
Most modern documentation of the use and construction of composite bows comes from China and the Middle East; until reforms early in the 20th century, skill with the composite bow was an essential part of the qualification for officers in the Chinese Imperial army.
Modern "composite" bows
Modern replicas of traditional composite bows are commercially available; they are usually made with fiberglass on both belly and back, easier to mass-produce and easier to take care of than traditional composite bows.
Types of composite bow
American composite bows
In northern America at first contact, some bows already had sinew backing. After the re-introduction of horses, newly-mounted groups rapidly developed shorter bows which were often given sinew backing. The full three-layer composite bow with horn, wood, and sinew does not seem to be recorded in the Americas, and horn bows with sinew backing are not recorded before European contact. [6]
Chinese bow
Zhangxian shooting a pebble bow.
The Chinese archery tradition goes back millennia. In general, Chinese composite bows derive from the same nomad origins as other Eurasian composite bows, but there is also a long tradition of local developments. [7]
Hungarian bow
Main articles: Hungarian bow
The Hungarian bow is a fairly long, symmetrical, composite reflex bow.
Korean bow
Main articles: Korean bow
A traditional modern Korean bow, or gakgung, is a small but very efficient horn-bamboo-sinew composite bow. Korean archers normally practice at a range of approximately 144 metres.
Mongol bow
Main articles: Mongol bow
The Mongol bow is the type most often referred to as the typical Asian recurve bow, made as a composite bow, from ibex or (more traditionally) water buffalo horn,sinew, birch wood and bark. The principal technical difference used to distinguish a "Mongol bow" from a "Hungarian bow" is the presence of a string "bridge" or "run"—an attachment of horn or wood, used to hold the string a little further apart from the bow's limbs. This attachment should give a small increase in the speed of the arrow, by increasing the initial string angle and therefore the force of the draw in its early stages. It is an interesting fact that during the time of Genghis Khan's conquests, the Mongol bows did not have string bridges yet. These were a later adoption from the Manchurian ("Qing dynasty") bows of northwestern China.[8]
The Mongolian tradition of archery is attested by an inscription on a stone stele that was found near Nerchinsk in Siberia: "While Genghis Khan was holding an assembly of Mongolian dignitaries, after his conquest of Sartaul (East Turkestan), Esungge (the son of Genghis Khan's brother) shot a target at 335 alds (536 m)."
Until today, archery with traditional composite bows is part of the annual festival of the three virile sports (Wrestling, Horseriding, Archery), called "Naadam".
Perso-Parthian bow
Main articles: Perso-Parthian bow
The Perso-Parthian bow is a symmetric recurve under high tension when strung. The "arms" of the bow are supposed to reflex far enough to cross each other when the bow is unstrung. The finished bow is covered by bark, fine leather, or in some cases shark skin, to keep out moisture. Traditionally, ox tendons are considered inferior to wild game sinews since they have a higher fat content, leading to spoilage.
Perso-Parthian bows were in use as late as 1820s in Persia (ancient Iran). They were then replaced by muskets.
See also
★ Crossbow
★ English longbow
★ Longbow
★ Flatbow
★ Archery
★ Horse archer
Bow construction techniques
★ Self bow
★ Compound bow
★ Laminated bow
Bow forms
★ Recurve bow
★ Decurve bow
★ Deflex bow
★ Reflex bow
References
★ (1992) ''The Traditional Bowyers Bible Volume 1''. The Lyons Press. ISBN 1-58574-085-3
★ (1992) ''The Traditional Bowyers Bible Volume 2''. The Lyons Press. ISBN 1-58574-086-1
★ (1994) ''The Traditional Bowyers Bible Volume 3''. The Lyons Press. ISBN 1-58574-087-X
1. http://www.atarn.org/chinese/scythian_bows.htm
2. Maurice's Strategikon: Handbook of Byzantine Military Strategy.
by George T. Dennis (Translator) ISBN-10: 0812217721 ISBN-13: 978-0812217728
3. http://www.intratext.com/IXT/LAT0189/_PG.HTM
4. Roman Military Equipment from the Punic Wars to the Fall of Rome (Paperback). M.C. Bishop, J.C. Coulston. Oxbow Books 2005. ISBN-10: 1842171593 ISBN-13: 978-1842171592
5. Turkish Archery and the Composite Bow, second edition. Paul E. Klopsteg, published by the author, Evanston, IL 1947
6. American Indian Archery. Reginald Laubin, Gladys Laubin. University of Oklahoma Press 1980. ISBN-10: 0806114673 ISBN-13: 978-0806114675
7. Chinese Archery (Paperback). Stephen Selby. Hong Kong University Press 2000. ISBN-10: 9622095011 ISBN-13: 978-9622095014
8. Archery Traditions of Asia. Stephen Selby. Publisher: Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence 2003. ISBN/Code: 9627039470
External links
★ The Asian Traditional Archery Research network
★ Ancient Composite Bows
★ Making an Asiatic Composite Bow
★ Five composite bows from the tomb of Tutankhamun
★ The Composite Bow
★ Ju Yuan Hao Chinese Bow and Arrow - the only remaining Chinese bow maker
★ Grozer Archery - fiberglass and traditional composite bows
★ Kassai fibreglass bows
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