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A Little Bit of Archery History

By: Linda Barton

The history of archery is an interesting one, by following the evolution of archery we also follow the history of mankind which is so closely linked.

All over the planet we have evidence of ancient archery, even recovered from regions whereupon formerly it has been accepted that the bow and arrow was never made use of, such as Australia.

It is thought that archery in all probability leads back to roughly 20,000 BC which was in the middle of the Stone Age; still the early Egyptians are recognized as representing the earliest known people to have used the bow and arrow. Archery was encompassed by the ancient Egyptians at least 5000 years past for the purpose of both hunting and war.

In 1200 BC the Hittites, an ancient people who lived in what is what is now known as Turkey and northern Syria, used the bow and arrow from fast, light chariots that enabled them to become dreaded opponents in Middle Eastern battles.

Their neighbours called the Assyrians, who emerged in Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria similarly made use of archery extensively. They recast the bow to a recurve shape that was shorter and substantially much more powerful enabling them to be used a lot more easily by a bowman on a horse. They also implemented assorted diverse types of materials to build bows like sinew, horn and wood.

In China archery can be traced back to the Shang dynasty which was between 1766 and 1027 BC when war chariots carried a three man team consisting of a driver, lancer and archer.

During the proceeding Zhou dynasty 1027-256 BC the Chinese aristocrats at court loved watching archery sporting competitions that were acted out along with music and a substantial measure of fanfare.

The Chinese introduced civil archery to the Japanese in around the 6th century and it bore a enduring effect on future techniques and customs. Japanese Martial Arts presently known as kyudo (way of the bow) is still taught in Japan in the unvaried traditional ways. A bow over 2 metres in length and made from wood, bamboo and coated strips is used for shooting a target assembled in a roofed bank of sand.

During the Geco-Roman period, the bow was utilized more for personal exploits or hunting than it was for warfare, Archery is frequently depicted on pottery dating to that time.

The Romans are not believed to have been very good archers, more than likely because up until the 5th century the bows they used were shot by drawing the string back to the chest rather than the face which gives the arrow far more accuracy.

Enemies such as the Parthians had far better skills; they were accomplished horsemen who were able to shoot backwards by swivelling around in the saddle often at full speed.

The superiority of the archery equipment and techniques used by the people of the Middle East continued for centuries. Attila the Hun and his Mongols, using Bows similar to those of the Parthians and Assyrians, conquered much of Asia and Europe and the Crusaders were thrown back by Turkish archers.

The bow personified a means of existence in the days of English and afterwards American colonization and is still so in some countries on the African continent

The popularity of archery has also been conveyed in several songs and folklore, in all likelihood the most famed being Robin Hood, furthermore archery is likewise often referenced in Greek mythology.

The first known organized archery competition included 3000 participants and was held at Finsbury, England in 1583.

By the time of the European 30 Year War between 1618 and 1648 due to the introduction of guns, it had become obvious that he bow and arrow as a weapon system belonged to a foregone era.

Since that period of time, archery has become extremely popular as a recreational sport.

Linda is webmaster of http:Discount Archery Shop where you can get all your discount archery needs from bows,arrows and accessories to targets. We have a full range of bows and arrows. Check our prices!

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