The bow is one of the oldest weapons in the history of mankind, in hunting and combat alike.
The bow is one of the oldest weapons in the history of mankind, in hunting and combat alike. Regular armies have used specialised troops of bowmen to win battles. The bow was mainly an Eastern weapon, but Western bowmen also gained renown, such as the English.
In the Romanian space, the bow has been mentioned in historical records ever since the ancient era, by Greek writers, who wrote that the sky darkened when the Dacians shot their arrows in devotion to their gods. In the Middle Ages, bows were used for both war and hunting in the areas inhabited by Romanians, as they were in the rest of Europe. Wallachian and Moldavian bowmen were considered among the best and took part in several battles alongside their allies. In 1410, the Moldavian prince Alexandru cel Bun sent 400 Moldavian archers who fought alongside the Polish-Lithuanian army against the Teutonic knights in the battle of Grunwald. In that same campaign, 800 Moldavian archers took part in the 1410 battle of Marienburg between the Polish-Lithuanian forces and the Teutons, which the former won.
Military historians and archaeologists have tried to reconstruct the way the bow was used in the Middle Ages. Historian Alexandru Matei, who is also a bow instructor, believes the style of bow shooting indicates the cultural area where bowmen came from:
"Depending on the style of shooting, of grasping the string, we can distinguish between the western and the eastern areas, which includes the Arabian, Persian, Turkish, Byzantine, Chinese, Manchurian, Korean and Japanese. Typical of the Mediterranean area is the classic draw, using two or three fingers, for a simple bow. The latter style involves the use of a thumb ring. According to some documents, Wallachian and Moldavian archers used Tartar bows. These are small bows and it's possible they may have been drawn using three fingers. The thumb ring draw is an older type of draw. They used this technique in the Scythian, the Asian area. There is a good possibility that Romanians used the thumb ring draw before the arrival of the Mongols. In Transylvania, the three-finger draw may have been used and that bows were both longbows and smaller Tartar bows. All Wallachian and Moldavian noblemen used bows, there were no special bowman troops as such. Archery was for horseback riding, so many riders were also bowmen. All noblemen knew how to shoot a bow. The Romanian armies relied on archers, with the Moldavian archers being used as mercenaries in the 1410 battle of Grunwald."
Archaeological sites reveal the method of using bows and arrows. Many times, however, objects found there were not interpreted properly in terms of their purpose. Historian Alexandru Matei explains:
"There aren't many sources for the history of bow drawing. Historians don't necessarily think of the type of bow and arrow used, but of the type of drawing. Thumb rings were found, conical or round, and of other geometric shapes, but were interpreted as jewellery. 10 years ago, when ring drawing was rediscovered, many historians have started to re-evaluate the drawing system, but have not managed to document it precisely. There are rings in museums, but they are not considered bow rings."
Bowmen had a poor reputation among soldiers as being cowards. When captured, they were spotted by the marks on their fingers, which sometimes were cut. Here is Alexandru Matei again:
"Historian Nicolae Iorga said the bow was the most feared weapon of the Wallachians. In the Western Christian tradition, the bow was the devil's weapon. It was honourable to fight face to face, with a sword. The bow was the weapon of cowards, of the devil. Saint John of Damascus tells the tale of an icon of Saint Theodore being shot with arrows by pagans. This is one of the probable sources of the bow being considered the devil's weapon, even though Byzantine emperor Leon VI complained of the fact that the Byzantines didn't know how to use a bow and should learn that in order to fight more efficiently against the Persians and the Arabs."
The bow had competition, namely from the crossbow. It needed craftsmen to build it and repair it, and it was harder to use. The bow was superseded by firearms, including in hunting. Today, archery is an object of passion for collectors of traditional weapons, as well as for athletes and amateurs.
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