According to scientists, the first mention of hunting and shooting arrows from a bow was in the Paleolithic era, which existed about 9 thousand years ago BC. The first mention of archery comes from cold Germany. Over time, the improvement of weapons began, or rather the arrows themselves.
Thus, a cape was born, which had more lethal power at close range. Spears were used on almost all continents of the world, except for Australia. During the time of the Egyptian pharaohs, the memory of bows and spears also remained. In such peoples as the Ideans, Persians, Assyrians, archers were the main forces of the army. Also in the largest part of the world, like Asia, whole tribes were formed with the best archers on horseback.
A weapon that shoots arrows also includes a crossbow. Briefly describe the crossbow, it is a pistol loaded with an arrow, which has a much greater killing power than a bow, but inferior to it in mobility. The crossbow was a weapon that could be loaded and always kept cocked. Some warriors kept two crossbows in their stock: one shot, and the second one charged an assistant. Therefore, crossbows in their compactness were sometimes inferior to archery .
What is the bow itself?
For ordinary people, a bow is a curved stick with a rope stretched between the ends. Actually it is not. Making weapons for this sports is an art. Wood of a suitable breed was chosen, which was wound together, then it was aged under certain conditions. This action kicked a kind of automotive spring, since a real bow is always connected with a rope. This indicates that several types of wood are used in its construction.
As we are used to seeing in films, where it is always worn with a taut bow, this is not a reliable truth, but rather a myth. The bow was pulled only before a fight or hunting, as the wood lost its spring properties in a stretched position. The first bow string was used from the insides of animals. But life did not stand still, it was soon replaced by polymeric materials.
Archery traditions
Since firearms have supplanted crossbows as a method of mining or warfare, archery has not been forgotten as a sports. These small arms are primarily mentioned in the myths of the gods or in medieval legends: The Story of Robin Hood. Archery to this day remains an important sports, without which even the Olympic Games cannot.
To this day, people hunt games for the sake of leisure, since the shooter is more likely to miss, and the game is more likely to survive. In England, archery is still a popular sport and entertainment in everyday life.
Bow as a work of art
Initially, the development of small arms was carried out by artisans at the local level. In connection with the breakthrough of technology, professional engineers began to deal with this matter. It was they who managed to improve the bow, making it compact: it could be folded in half, which was convenient for using mobile weapons.
Thanks to engineers, arcuballista appeared, which are a huge crossbow on the fortifications of buildings or on wheels for the mobile movement of troops. The bow was loaded with arrows, the weight of which reached 150 kg. Enough modifications of such arrows were invented, including incendiary ones, to cause more damage to the enemy at long distances.
Despite the fact that this sport originates from the Stone Age, it remains quite popular and is being improved even today.