History of Archery

The history of archery goes back thousands upondescribed. At least not at first, in the beginning of
thousands of years. There have been stonethe Middle Ages when archery as a tool for
arrowheads found dating from as far back aswarfare was downgraded and viewed as low
over 25,000 years go. As time went on, recentclass or insignificant. Archers were however very
findings show feathers attached to arrows, thecheap to train and install into a battle group,
shafts of arrows and the bows themselves, stillbecause of the relatively cheap cost of the
at least over 10,000 years old. Bows and arrowsweaponry and the lack of armor necessary for
were first used solely for hunting purposes but asthe archers at the back of the battlefield.
time went on they became a deadly andOne of the turning points in this view was the
dominating force in warfare.development of the English longbow which
Archery was practiced in many differentwrecked havoc upon the French armies at the
emerging civilizations. Notably, the ancientBattle of Agincourt. The crossbow, which has
Egyptians were known to have practiced archeryactually been known to have existed for at least
for both hunting and battle. The Egyptians widely2,500 years, was also used in Medieval warfare as
practiced archery dating back over 5,000 years.well as by the Eastern cultures, specifically and
The Egyptians are also believed to be the firstmost prevalently, the Chinese. The crossbow was
known people to have made composite bows,more forceful and was superior for shorter
although it is now believed that they came uponranges, while the longbow provided a huge
this technology through the nomadic tribes whoadvantage in the distance you could strike with.
used the bows on horseback.As archery became a powerful military weapon,
Using bows on horseback would become athe art of archery was also practiced and
powerful military tactic. The Huns, led by Attila,celebrated in Medieval culture. However, by the
famously used archers on horseback to runend of the Middle Ages the importance of archery
rampant through the Roman armies who wereclearly fell off. This is due of course to the
themselves short on archers. This is despite thedevelopment and implementation of gun powder
fact that that Alexander the Great had previouslyand more advanced and powerful weaponry.
used archers to success and famous mythologicalToday, archery is an Olympic sport still practiced
characters such as Odysseus were said to haveby many people. Additionally, many people who
used a bow.hunt choose to use bows and arrows as a way
Other civilizations and armies throughout the eastto practice a more natural and fair hunt, as
also used archery, including the Chinese, theopposed to the super weaponry that is available
Japanese, the Indians and the Persians. Some ofso easily.
the famous Terracotta soldiers are archers.Archery is a skill not mastered by many. It takes
Additionally, the Native American tribes were alsoprecision, steadiness, and focus. Whether it's out in
very proficient in archery and used bows andthe woods stalking deer or on the field taking aim
arrows both for hunting and battles.at a target, archery, for all it's advancements, is
While archery remained a powerful tool in easternstill primitive in nature and there's something
cultures, during the Middle Ages in Westernalluring about that.
Europe, archery was not as popular as is often