The bow is one of the oldest weapons
\nin the history of mankind, in hunting and combat alike. Regular armies have
\nused specialised troops of bowmen to win battles. The bow was mainly an Eastern
\nweapon, but Western bowmen also gained renown, such as the English. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
In the Romanian space, the bow has been
\nmentioned in historical records ever since the ancient era, by Greek writers,
\nwho wrote that the sky darkened when the Dacians shot their arrows in devotion
\nto their gods. In the Middle Ages, bows were used for both war and hunting in
\nthe areas inhabited by Romanians, as they were in the rest of Europe.
\nWallachian and Moldavian bowmen were considered among the best and took part in
\nseveral battles alongside their allies. In 1410, the Moldavian prince Alexandru
\ncel Bun sent 400 Moldavian archers who fought alongside the Polish-Lithuanian
\narmy against the Teutonic knights in the battle of Grunwald. In that same
\ncampaign, 800 Moldavian archers took part in the 1410 battle of Marienburg
\nbetween the Polish-Lithuanian forces and the Teutons, which the former won. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Military historians and archaeologists have
\ntried to reconstruct the way the bow was used in the Middle Ages. Historian
\nAlexandru Matei, who is also a bow instructor, believes the style of bow
\nshooting indicates the cultural area where bowmen came from: <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Depending on the style of shooting, of
\ngrasping the string, we can distinguish between the western and the eastern
\nareas, which includes the Arabian, Persian, Turkish, Byzantine, Chinese,
\nManchurian, Korean and Japanese. Typical of the Mediterranean area is the
\nclassic draw, using two or three fingers, for a simple bow. The latter style
\ninvolves the use of a thumb ring. According to some documents, Wallachian and
\nMoldavian archers used Tartar bows. These are small bows and it’s possible they
\nmay have been drawn using three fingers. The thumb ring draw is an older type
\nof draw. They used this technique in the Scythian, the Asian area. There is a
\ngood possibility that Romanians used the thumb ring draw before the arrival of
\nthe Mongols. In Transylvania, the three-finger draw may have been used and that
\nbows were both longbows and smaller Tartar bows. All Wallachian and Moldavian
\nnoblemen used bows, there were no special bowman troops as such. Archery was
\nfor horseback riding, so many riders were also bowmen. All noblemen knew how to
\nshoot a bow. The Romanian armies relied on archers, with the Moldavian archers
\nbeing used as mercenaries in the 1410 battle of Grunwald.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Archaeological sites reveal the method of using
\nbows and arrows. Many times, however, objects found there were not interpreted
\nproperly in terms of their purpose. Historian Alexandru Matei explains: <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
There aren’t many sources for the history of
\nbow drawing. Historians don’t necessarily think of the type of bow and arrow
\nused, but of the type of drawing. Thumb rings were found, conical or round, and
\nof other geometric shapes, but were interpreted as jewellery. 10 years ago,
\nwhen ring drawing was rediscovered, many historians have started to re-evaluate
\nthe drawing system, but have not managed to document it precisely. There are
\nrings in museums, but they are not considered bow rings.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Bowmen had a poor reputation among soldiers as
\nbeing cowards. When captured, they were spotted by the marks on their fingers,
\nwhich sometimes were cut. Here is Alexandru Matei again: <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Historian Nicolae Iorga said the bow was the
\nmost feared weapon of the Wallachians. In the Western Christian tradition, the
\nbow was the devil’s weapon. It was honourable to fight face to face, with a
\nsword. The bow was the weapon of cowards, of the devil. Saint John of Damascus
\ntells the tale of an icon of Saint Theodore being shot with arrows by pagans.
\nThis is one of the probable sources of the bow being considered the devil’s
\nweapon, even though Byzantine emperor Leon VI complained of the fact that the
\nByzantines didn’t know how to use a bow and should learn that in order to fight
\nmore efficiently against the Persians and the Arabs.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
The bow had competition, namely from the
\ncrossbow. It needed craftsmen to build it and repair it, and it was harder to
\nuse. The bow was superseded by firearms, including in hunting. Today, archery
\nis an object of passion for collectors of traditional weapons, as well as for
\nathletes and amateurs. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The bow is one of the oldest weapons in the history of mankind, in hunting and combat alike.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":127,"featured_media":129587,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[41141],"tags":[42651],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-129586","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-history-show","tag-archery"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n