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Home Introduction Types of archery Bows Arrows Fleching Contact information |
The earliest tangible evidence of archery dates back 5,000 years. The bow probably originated for use in hunting and was then adopted as a tool of warfare. Classical civilizations, especially the Persians, Macedonians, Nubians, Greeks, Parthians, Indians, Chinese, and Koreans, fielded large numbers of archers in their armies. Arrows proved exceptionally destructive against massed formations and the use of archers often proved decisive. Archers sometimes rode on horseback (horse archers), combining range with speed. Apollo, Odysseus and other mythological characters are often depicted with a bow. The phrase "a parting shot" comes from the Parthian shot, a technique employed by the Parthians, with the riders turning in the saddle to shoot as they rode away from the enemy. During the Middle Ages, archery in warfare was not as common and dominant, in Western Europe, as popular myth dictates. Archers were quite often the lowest paid soldiers in an army or were conscripted from the peasantry. This was due to the cheap nature of the bow and arrow, as compared to the costs needed to equip a professional soldiers with good armour and a sword. The bow was seldom used to decide battles and viewed as a "lower class weapon" or as a toy, by the nobility. However, among the Vikings, even royalty such as Magnus Barelegs used archery effectively, and the Muslims used archery, presumably also in their numerous raiding expeditions all over the Western European seaboard, in the 9th and 10th centuries Archery was also highly developed in Asia and in the Islamic world. The horse archers were the main military force of most of the Equestrian Nomads. In modern times, horse archery continues to be practised in some Asian countries but is not used in international competition. Central Asian tribesmen were extremely skilled at archery on horseback. Archery is the national sport of the Kingdom of Bhutan. Asian arrows are less stiff than western arrows, with smaller fletchings. Bows vary widely. |
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