by Arif Ull Haque Chowdhury

Created on: May 06, 2008   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

The history of archery is intensely intriguing; by following the growth of archery we similarly trace the history of mankind which is so closely connected.

Throughout the world we have found evidence of ancient archery, even in places where in the past it was thought that the bow and arrow was not used, such as Australia.

It is considered that archery in all likelihood goes back to approximately 20,000 BC which was in the Stone Age; even so the ancient Egyptians are accredited as being the first humans to have made use of the bow and arrow. Archery was embraced by the early Egyptians at least 5000 years ago for the intention of both hunting and combat.

Around 1200 BC the Hittites, a primeval race who occupied what in the present day is known as Turkey and northern Syria, used the bow and arrow from quick, light chariots that enabled them to rise to be feared adversaries in Middle Eastern hostilities.

Their neighbours called the Assyrians, who emerged in Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria similarly made use of archery extensively. They recast the bow to a recurve shape that was shorter and substantially much more powerful enabling them to be used a lot more easily by a bowman on a horse. They also implemented assorted diverse types of materials to build bows like sinew, horn and wood.

In China archery can be traced back to the Shang dynasty which was between 1766 and 1027 BC when war chariots carried a three man team consisting of a driver, lancer and archer.

It was during the ensuing Zhou dynasty between 1027-256 BC that the Chinese nobles at court liked to attend archery sporting tournaments that were accompanied by music and much fanfare.

The Chinese brought domestic archery to Japan around the sixth century and it delivered an everlasting outcome on succeeding methods and traditions. Japanese Martial Arts currently called kyudo (way of the bow) is still learned in Japan in the same customary way. A bow over 2 metres long and made from bamboo, wood and coated strips is employed for shooting a target put together in a roofed bank of sand.

In the Geco-Roman period, the bow was used more for human adventures or hunting than it was for conflict, Archery is often portrayed on earthenware dating back to that era.

The Romans are not believed to have been terribly skilled archers, in all probability because up till the 5th century the bows they owned were shot by drawing out the string to the chest rather than the facial area which affords the arrow far better precision.

Enemies such as the Parthians had far better skills; they were accomplished horsemen who were able to shoot backwards by swivelling around in the saddle often at full speed.

The superiority of the archery equipment and techniques used by the people of the Middle East continued for centuries. Attila the Hun and his Mongols, using Bows similar to those of the Parthians and Assyrians, conquered much of Asia and Europe and the Crusaders were thrown back by Turkish archers.

The bow was an instrument of existence in the days of English and subsequently American settlement and still is in some nations on the African continent.

The popularity of archery has also been conveyed in several songs and folklore, in all likelihood the most famed being Robin Hood, furthermore archery is likewise often referenced in Greek mythology.

The first known organized archery competition included 3000 participants and was held at Finsbury, England in 1583.

By the time of the European 30 Years War between 1618 and 1648 because of the introduction of the gun, it had become clear that the bow and arrow as a weapon belonged in the past.

Since that time, archery is has become extremely popular as a recreational sport.

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