Gorytos

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Silver bilingual drachm of the Indo-Greek king Hermaeus (ruled 90-70 BCE) with his wife Kalliope. King on horse, equipped with the recurve bow of the steppes stored in a gorytos.

A gorytos (Greek: γωρυτός, Latin: gorytus) designated in Antiquity a bow-case for a short recurve, or Scythian, bow. Usually the gorytos would allow to store the full quiver, with bow and arrows.

Many gorytos were highly decorated. Some have been found in Greek tombs, such as the Tomb of Philip of the 2nd half of the 4th century BCE. They were also used by the Persians.

Indo-Greeks adopted the recurve bow and the gorytos as part of their horse-fighting equipment from around 100 BCE, as can be seen on their coins.

[edit] External links

• Gold gorytos from the tomb of Philip