I chose a Mongolian Horse bow because I would like to eventually ride and shoot. With the decision to keep my Slav/Rus persona, I can pull this off with ease. But as with anything I do, I wanted to know >more< about it. I want to understand the history of the bow, and it's place in history.
Mongolian Bows in History.
Pretty much everyone knows that the Mongols basically took over the Asian Continent at some point. What many folks do not know is that the army was almost entirely on horseback, and 60% or more, of those horsemen were well trained, highly disciplined mounted Archers. The mobility and versatility of the Mongolian mounted Archer changed the course of History in Asia, parts of the middle east, and Europe.
History of the Mongolian bow.
Mongolian bows existed in a fairly unchanged form for hundreds, possibly thousands of years. It was used by the people of the steppes for hunting and protection long before it became a tool of war. It's recurve technology was enhanced by the combination of building materials such as wood, horn, and sinew. The combination of those building materials allowed for incredibly strong, lightweight, and sturdy weapons.
At some point in history, the Mongolian bow was outlawed by a conquering culture, and the art of making these weapons almost died out! Could you imagine? A bow that affected the world, and is the basis on which recurve bows are still made today, could have been lost to antiquity?
Pretty much everyone knows that the Mongols basically took over the Asian Continent at some point. What many folks do not know is that the army was almost entirely on horseback, and 60% or more, of those horsemen were well trained, highly disciplined mounted Archers. The mobility and versatility of the Mongolian mounted Archer changed the course of History in Asia, parts of the middle east, and Europe.
History of the Mongolian bow.
Mongolian bows existed in a fairly unchanged form for hundreds, possibly thousands of years. It was used by the people of the steppes for hunting and protection long before it became a tool of war. It's recurve technology was enhanced by the combination of building materials such as wood, horn, and sinew. The combination of those building materials allowed for incredibly strong, lightweight, and sturdy weapons.
At some point in history, the Mongolian bow was outlawed by a conquering culture, and the art of making these weapons almost died out! Could you imagine? A bow that affected the world, and is the basis on which recurve bows are still made today, could have been lost to antiquity?
A video below showing some Mongolian traditions as well as mounted archery. Not only are these mounted archers riding bareback, but they are at a gallop, shooting at targets ahead, next to and then behind. Most are carrying arrows in the bow hand rather than in a quiver. Very good example!!!