Composite bow
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A composite bow is a bow made from various materials laminated together, usually applied under tension. Different materials are used in order to take advantage of the properties of each material. Materials particularly resistant to compression, such as horn, antler, or compression resistant woods such as osage orange, hornbeam, or yew, are used on the belly of the bow (the part facing the archer when shooting) while materials that are very strong under tension, such as sinew, silk or sinew cables, or tough wood like hickory, are used on the back of the bow (the part facing away from the archer when shooting). Modern replicas of composite bows are often made with fiberglass on both belly and back. The traditional Asiatic composite bow uses horn on the belly and sinew on the back.
The English longbow, and other similar bows from many parts of the world, are not normally considered a composite bow as they are traditionally made from a single natural piece of wood. Modern "composite" bows such as compound bows use laminated wood, metal, plastic and fiberglass. These are only minimally affected by changes of temperature and humidity.
The composite bow was frequently used by the cavalry archers of the Parthians, Turks, Mongols and other Asiatic nomads. Most of the Mongol horde consisted of light cavalry archers. Composite bows may have been invented first by the nomad of the Asiatic steppe, such as the Xiongnu. However, composite bows were soon adopted by civilizations, such as the Chinese, Assyrian, Indian, and Egyptian, who came into conflict with nomads. Their first appearance coincides with the adoption of the horse to draw chariots or as a riding animal. After the re-introduction of the horse to the North American plains, newly-mounted groups rapidly developed shorter bows which were often given sinew backing, and in a few cases horn bellies. Most modern documentation of the use and construction of composite bows comes from China and the Middle East.
The Mongols, Persian, Parthian, Turkish, Hun, and Magyar Bows use horn on the belly and sinew on the back. As with most other composite bows made before the 20th century the layers were glued on using glue made from hide, or fish bladders. The Asian composite bows are recurve bows as the shape curves back on itself; this design gives higher draw-weight in the early stages of the archer's draw, so storing somewhat more total energy for a given final draw-weight. It is possible to make a bow of wood that has the same shape, length and draw-weight as a traditional composite bow, but it could not store the energy and would break at full draw. The Japanese yumi is made of laminated wood and has a long draw-length; it uses a very long upper limb to store the energy needed and a short lower limb to be manageable from horseback.
Sinew and horn will store more energy than wood for the same length of bow. The composite bow's construction gives it a long draw length for its small size. The strength can be made similar to that of all-wood bows, with similar draw-length and therefore a similar amount of energy delivered to the arrow from a much shorter bow. Some Mongolian composite bows are known to have been able to produce a draw weight of nearly 160 lb. That can be compared to the approximately 80–180 pounds of the European Longbow which was twice the size.
The main advantage of composite bows over self bows (made from a single piece of wood) is their combination of smaller size with high power. They are therefore much more suitable for use from horseback, and presumably from a chariot. Their construction also requires more time and a greater variety of materials than self bows, and the animal glue traditionally used can lose strength in humid conditions and be ruined by submersion.
The Mongols, Seljuk Turks and Parthian horse archers used skirmishing tactics where they would approach, shoot, and retreat. Parthians are known for using their composite bows to shoot backwards over the rear of their horses. The term "parthian shot" comes from these horse archers. The Mongols used many different types of arrows.
[edit] List of Composite bows
[edit] References
- (1992) The Traditional Bowyers Bible Volume 1. The Lyons Press. ISBN 1-58574-085-3.
- (1992) The Traditional Bowyers Bible Volume 2. The Lyons Press. ISBN 1-58574-086-1.
- (1994) The Traditional Bowyers Bible Volume 3. The Lyons Press. ISBN 1-58574-087-X.
