Archery is the art or skill of shooting arrows with the use
of a bow and has been around since ancient times as a mean for hunting and
warfare. Nowadays, it often practiced as a recreational activity or as a sport
competed in the Olympics.
2012 London Olympics
I won’t go into detail with the history since Archery has
been around since the late Paleolithic or the early Mesolithic and it will take
too much work on talking about each time period, so I will just touch on some
important roles and facts that archery took in human history. The first
composite bow was invented in Egypt. It was structured from wood tipped with
animal horn and held together with animal sinew and glue. When unstrung, it
resembled a ‘c’ shape and would have required two people to string it. The
bowstring was made from “catgut” or sheep intestines and the arrows are extremely
light to the point that it can be shot 400 yards and was strong enough to
penetrate the armors of that time.
Fresco depicting an archer in Egypt
Archery also played a vital role in the
military supremacy of the infamous Roman Empire. Hannibal used archers mounted
on horseback to spread his empire around 260 BC. The Chinese on the other hand,
developed crossbows (a bow used much like a pistol). One can see the popularity
of archery in the history of China through the accessories of the Terra Cotta
army wherein crossbows are evident.
Sketch of Siege crossbow by Leonardo da Vinci
The Parthians in Iran and Afghanistan could
shoot arrows in horseback while fleeing from the enemies. It is called a
“Parthian Shot” which became “Parting Shot” in modern English. One of the most
famous archers are the Mongols. Attila the Hun led his armies out in all
directions, forging a vast empire from the Rhine to the Caspian Sea. Their
archers played a crucial role in most of his victories. The Mongols were expert
horsemen who could stand high in the stirrups and shoot arrows in all
directions.
Mounted Archer
Japan, on the other hand, developed archery in two forms, Kyudo and
Yabusame, which are popular martial art forms today.
Kyudo
Compared to the other martial arts, a bow is greatly required
in performing archery (if I’m wrong please correct me so) as far as I know. I’m
not very knowledgeable in this field and decided to post about Archery when I
heard that one of my friends joined her university archery club.
The first thing that she learned is that Archery is not that
light on both the body and her wallet. “It is an expensive sport but even so I
still find it very fun and rewarding.” She told me that their archery community
is pretty small and that it does not get much attention in our country such as
having a UAAP competition just like other sports which means other archery
clubs do not experience varsity privileges. "It is fun though, to some who haven't experienced it they might think it looks pretty easy but just like any other sport it is also hard and requires hard work and a lot of training."
Here's a video from Youtube on the rapid fire of the huns.
Sources:
Byers, S. (n.d.). A Brief History of Achery. Retrieved March 30, 2013 from
Edwards, P. (n.d.). History & Sport of Archery. Retrieved March 30, 2013 from
Youtube:
Pictures:
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