A bow is not just a weapon, it is a whole mechanism. Its structure suggests that man already in the Mesolithic era learned some laws of mechanics. During excavations of Mesolithic sites, bows the height of a man were found. They are made of elm - the best wood for these purposes.
When it comes to the art of archery, for some reason the so-called English archers always come to mind. They were considered to be the best. Well, of course, this idea has been imposed on us since childhood. The archer hero Robin Hood and other English archery aces were glorified in history books. It’s a pity to debunk myths, but all this, as they say, is far-fetched. Gentlemen, foreigners are sinning against the truth.
Archaeological excavations and surviving written sources testify: the bows used by the Slavs, as well as the Arabs, Persians, Turks, Mongol-Tatars and other peoples of the East, significantly surpassed Western European ones - Scandinavian, German, English and others - both in terms of their technical level perfection and in combat effectiveness. Here's an example for those who may have doubts. The maximum recorded distance for an aimless (that is, just at range) shot from an English bow was 557 meters. The arrow of the Turkish Sultan Murat Ghazi IV, who was fond of archery, once flew 878.5 meters.
The range of aimed fire varied accordingly. Some English record holders (for example, the English king Henry VIII) hit a target at a distance of up to 220 meters, but for ordinary shooters the maximum striking distance was, according to calculations, 92 meters. And in the Arab East, the aimed shooting distance for undistinguished shooters was about 150 meters! Thus, many of the results, which were record-breaking for the “incomparable English” shooters, were close to ordinary, ordinary for their Eastern and Slavic contemporaries. For example, in Rus' there was a unique measure of length - strelishche, or shoot-out - about 225 meters. “The husband will finish the yak” - it was defined in the 12th century, and it was about shooting to kill. “Shoot” also meant “to shoot through, to shoot through.” Apparently, our ancestors did not see anything special in “finishing” and “shooting” at a distance that was a record for the British. And the point here was primarily in the design of the bow. In Western Europe, a bow was used, which weapons scientists rightly call simple. It was made from one piece of properly seasoned and processed wood of a certain species - elm, yew, ash, hazel. In the East and in Ancient Rus' they used a different type of bow - a compound one.
Construction of a complex Russian bow
Configuration – appearance a compound bow can be seen in all ancient Russian images that have survived to this day. It has the shape of the letter “M” with smooth bends. The bow was called compound because it was made from several pieces of wood of different species. The Old Russian compound bow consisted of two wooden planks glued together longitudinally. WITH inside On the bow (facing the shooter) there was a well-polished juniper strip. Where it was adjacent to the outer plank (birch or elm), three narrow longitudinal grooves were made to fill with fish glue to make the connection more durable. The strength of the connection is evidenced by the fact that the bow, which had already lain in the ground for eight centuries, did not fall apart, the glue held the planks tightly.
Starting from the 14th century, Russian bows began to be strengthened with horn stripes - valances. Since the 15th century, steel valances appeared, but they did not become widespread in Rus'.
The bow handle was lined with smooth bone plates. The length of the handle was about 13 cm, exactly the size of an adult man’s hand. It had an oval shape and fit very comfortably in the palm.
Bone plates were also attached to the ends of the bow, where the bowstring loop was put on. With them, the ancient masters tried to strengthen those places on the bow (they were called knots) where the joints of its main parts were located - the handle, shoulders (horns) and ends. After gluing the bone pads onto a wooden base, their ends were tied with tendon veins soaked in fish glue.
Onions, made from natural organic materials, responded to changes in humidity, heat and frost. Ancient craftsmen perfectly mastered the art and technology of making complex bows: pre-boiled birch bark, which was used to cover the bow, protected it from dampness. Russian craftsmen made “all-weather” bows. In Rus', masters were called archers, and archers were called archers. When in the bitter winter of 1444 there was a battle between Russian squads and the Tatars, the latter were unable to shoot due to severe frost, but our soldiers successfully hit the enemy. “Because of the great scum... their bows and arrows are worthless.”
Combat and hunting bows ancient times had considerable power. The blow of the bowstring of such a bow, “clicking” on the left hand of the archer in the turmoil of battle or hunting, could cause serious trouble - tearing clothes, or even skin. Therefore, the archers tried to cover left hand a special safety device - a shield. It was made from bone or elk antler and had the shape of an oval the size of a palm. Worn on the wrist.
ANCIENT RUSSIAN COMPOUND BOW
1. Wooden bow base. 2. View of the wooden base of the bow from the inside and the layout of the bone plates on it. 3. Layout of the bone plates on the bow (side view):
a – ends with bowstring cutout,
b – tendons,
c – birch plank,
g – juniper plank,
d – end plates with a cutout for the bowstring,
e – side handle linings; g – lower handle linings on the inside of the bow,
h, i - a knot, or the junction of the ends, strips and tendons,
k - a node, or the junction of the tendons and bone linings of the bow handle.
4. Securing the joints of the bow parts. 5. Bow with string after pasting. 6. Onion cut:
a – birch bark lining,
b – tendons, c – birch strip,
g – juniper plank.
Bowstring
The string of a complex ancient Russian bow was not just a rope, but a material whose quality was subject to no less demands than the bow itself. The main requirement for a bowstring is its tensile strength; in addition, it should not change its properties under the influence of weather conditions: swell, curl, dry out in the heat.
From the history of Western Europe, there are cases when battles were lost due to the fact that the string on the bow became wet from exposure to moisture. The answer here is simple: they used a hemp bowstring, which did not allow shooting in the rain.
Ancient Russian archers used a bowstring made of good silk and sinew, which were excellent for wet and cold climates. There was also a bowstring made from “intestinal string” - animal intestines processed in a special way. It was good for warm and dry weather, but it stretched out a lot in damp weather. A bowstring made of rawhide was also used. After careful processing, she was not afraid of any bad weather. To make it, the skin of a young skinny camel was soaked in cold fresh water, then from the dorsal part, where the skin is thicker and stronger, strips were cut somewhat wider than the future bowstring, and if they were cut from the sides, the strips were made much wider. These strips were hung in a dark room, excluding access fresh air. Holes were made at the ends of the strips and wooden sticks were inserted. With their help, strips of leather were carefully pulled and twisted at the same time, processed with an emery stone. This operation was carried out until the strip of skin stopped stretching and twisting and became completely smooth and round in cross-section. But in order to prevent the fresh string from stretching in cold and damp weather, and, on the contrary, from shrinking in hot and dry weather, it was soaked several times and kept under strong tension, while carefully polishing it with a soft stone. Then they were soaked in a mixture of fat and yellow wax. After this, the bowstring was not afraid of heat, cold, or dampness. Such an onion could be dipped into the river without much harm. To avoid straining the bow, the string was removed. Careful cuts were made in the bone lining of the end of the bow. During shooting, the bowstring loops moved back and forth in the notches and gradually frayed. Nobody wanted to lose an expensive bowstring, so the loops were made removable, i.e. not constituting one whole with the bowstring. They were made from straps tied with special knots. Russian knots were considered the best.
TYPES OF KNOTS AND LOOPES OF THE BOSSING
1, 2 – view (side and front) of a loop knot on a silk string of a Russian bow (XVII century): Central Asian (Khorasam) knot,
3 – sea knot,
4 – protracted or dead knot,
5 – the end of a silk bowstring with an eye for attaching a leather loop,
6 – the same bowstring with a leather loop,
7, 8 – view (side and top) of the end of the mentioned bow (XVII century) with a bowstring attached
Naluchye
In Rus' and in the countries of the East, a special cover for the day of onions was used - naluche. Western Europe did not know rays at all. The bow was only slightly shorter than the “tied” bow, or even equal in length, otherwise the bow would have fallen out of it, and the length of the ancient Russian bow with a string attached to it was about 1.3 meters.
The bows were very convenient for mounted archers, who had to control the horse at the same time as archery. Foot soldiers also needed it: they could not hold a bow in their hands all the time - in battle they often had to exchange it for another weapon: a spear, a sword, a battle ax. In addition, the onion was heavy, and no one wanted to rub it.
Arrow
The arrows of our distant ancestors were a match for powerful bows. Over a long period, counting centuries, masters have developed a whole science of selection and proportions. components arrows: shaft, tip, fletching and eye (heel). The arrow shaft had to be perfectly straight, strong and not too heavy. For the shaft, straight-grained species were used: birch, spruce, pine. This was the case until the 16th and 17th centuries. Then they began to use apple trees, reeds, cypress, and cedar. Another requirement was exceptional smoothness after processing: the slightest burr on the shaft with high sliding speed along the shooter's hand could cause serious injury. Wood for arrows was harvested in late autumn and winter, when it contains the least moisture. Preference was given to old trees - their wood is denser and stronger. The butt was sawed into logs of the required sizes, according to the length of the arrows. They sanded and dried for several months, then stabbed into blanks that were much thicker than future arrows. Planed with a knife, giving the required form– 8-10 mm in diameter. Scraped and polished to the required smoothness. Special “knife planes” were used to give the arrow the same diameter along its entire length. The length of the arrows was 75-90 cm, weight about 50 grams.
The tips were attached to the butt end of the shaft, which in a living tree was facing the root. This was explained by the fact that the wood towards the butt is stronger. To give the arrow stability in flight, feathers were attached to it. There were from two to six feathers on arrows, but mostly two or three feathers were used, symmetrically located around the circumference of the shaft. The feathers had to be smooth, elastic, straight, and medium-hard. The feathers of an eagle, vulture, falcon and seabirds were the best choice. All the tail blades had to be the same in length, width and weight and, moreover, bend in one direction: this would twist the flying arrow. The heavier the arrow, the longer and wider the feathers were made. On average, the length of the plumage ranged between 6 and 10 cm.
The eye (heel) of the arrow, where the bowstring was inserted, had dimensions: depth 5-8 mm, width 4-6 mm. The cutout for the bowstring was sometimes machined into the shaft itself, but more often the eye was made of bone and fitted flush onto the shaft using fish glue. Princely arrows had ears made of gems.
At different times, 106 types of iron tips and 8 types of bone tips were used for arrows. This diversity is explained not by the wild imagination of our ancestors, but by purely practical needs. During hunting and in combat, various situations arose when a certain type of arrow was required. To find the right one, the eye or shaft was painted a certain color. Tips, which are now called shears, were very often used. Srezni – from the word cut. Their characteristic is a wide cutting blade; they were used against a large animal or an unprotected enemy. Narrow, faceted “armor-piercing” tips were used against armor and chain mail. They were made from high quality steel. There were also blunt arrowheads, they were called “arrowheads”. They were used to hunt forest fur-bearing animals. Punching through the skin, they did not stain the valuable fur with blood; moreover, they did not stick into the tree trunk and did not get stuck.
Double-spike arrows were used as incendiary arrows, which, having fallen on the roof at the end, were not supposed to slide down. The weight of the tip was supposed to be one-seventh of the total weight of the arrow. Average weight the tip was 8-12 grams, but there were also up to 40 grams - these are especially large cuts.
Since 1589, the Turkic word “quiver” appears in the Russian language (in written sources), which is now known to everyone as a case for carrying arrows. In Ancient Rus', the case was called “tul”. The ancient Slavic tul had a cylindrical shape. The body was made of one or two layers of dense birch bark and was often covered with leather.
The bottom was made of wood about one centimeter thick. The length of the tul reached 60–70 cm. The arrows were laid with the tips down. To protect the feathers of the arrows from bad weather and damage, the arrows had tight covers.
Near the bottom, the body expanded to 12-15 cm in diameter, in the middle of the body its diameter was 8-10 cm, and at the neck the body expanded somewhat again. In such a case, the arrows were held tightly, and at the same time, their feathers did not shrink, and the tips did not cling when pulled out.
Starting from the 12th century, flat tules appeared. Their length is about 65 cm, and their thickness is 2 cm. Tul mixed in about twenty arrows. When going to battle, warriors took with them several tools with arrows.
Combat use of the bow
Archer athletes compete in sports bow shooting at a distance of up to 90 meters. This is very modest compared to the distances of our distant ancestors. The force when shooting from a sports bow is 20 kg. But the string tension of ancient Slavic bows, to which warriors and hunters trusted their lives, was 80 kg! Moreover, this is the tension of a normal combat bow. But the archers performed “piece goods”. For the heroes, bows were made so powerful that an ordinary trained warrior-combatant was not able to draw it. Punchy and lethal force An arrow shot from such a bow is sometimes difficult for a modern person to even imagine.
The chronicles have brought to us evidence that war horses were pierced through by an arrow fired from a combat bow, and the rider was not only pierced through by the arrow, but also nailed to the horse. Ancient hunters could easily pierce through elk and bears with their bows. Arrows fired from a distance of about 250 meters easily pierced oak boards more than 5 cm thick. From a distance of 100 meters, knights clad in steel armor were pierced through.
When shooting at a distance of up to 60 meters from powerful bow They hit “direct fire”, i.e. they aimed exactly at the center of the target, and even at a distance of 150 meters the excess was taken to be very slight. The rate of fire was high and reached 20 rounds per minute.
Crossbow crossbows became widespread in Western Europe, especially after the Crusades in the 12th-15th centuries. In Rus', the crossbow was also known, but did not receive widespread combat use, since it could not withstand competition with a powerful compound bow either in terms of shooting efficiency or rate of fire.
In 1252, in a clash with the troops of Mindaugas of Lithuania, who had German mercenaries with crossbows, our archers not only dispersed the German crossbowmen, but, according to the chronicle, playfully shot them, chasing them across the field.
The superiority of Slavic compound bows over crossbows is also recognized by Western chroniclers of the Middle Ages.
In a word, in skillful and strong hands The Russian compound bow was a terrible weapon.
...A lot of water has passed under the bridge since then. Firearms completely won all positions. Outdated ones that have lost their effectiveness are being replaced by new, more advanced weapon systems. But the legendary bow - man's first throwing weapon - did not go into oblivion. There are still places where people use bows and arrows not only for hunting, but also in battle.
The art of archery is associated with English archers, but the weapons that the Persians, Arabs, Turks, and Slavs had at their disposal were much more effective than the bulky structures that warriors had in medieval Europe.
Russian combat bow
English, German, Scandinavian and other Western European shooting bows were significantly inferior to the weapons that were in service with the eastern peoples both in combat effectiveness (range, shooting accuracy and rate of fire) and in ease of use.
Of course, it is difficult to estimate with confidence the distance at which the English bow retained its destructive power, but it certainly did not exceed 100 meters. While in Rus', back in the 12th century, there was a unique measure of length (shooting or shooting), which was about 225 meters. Moreover, it is believed that it was not just about distance, but specifically about shooting to kill, since to shoot meant “to hit with a shot,” and this result was not something out of the ordinary - this is how ordinary shooters shot.
The Russian combat bow owes its superiority over the English longbow, first of all, to its design. English weapons were made from a single piece of wood (elm, ash, yew or hazel), and in Rus', as well as in the East, a complex system of several elements was used, which significantly increased the elastic properties of the shaft.
The design of a complex Russian bow
The peculiar configuration of the Russian combat bow is repeatedly found in ancient chronicles. It resembles the letter M, but only with smooth bends. During production, wood of different species was used: two wooden planks were adjusted to each other, and then glued together. On the side facing the archer, a juniper plank was installed, while the outer one was made of elm or birch. At the junction of the planks, three longitudinal grooves were cut into the juniper plank, which were filled with fish glue to make the connection more durable (so strong that bows found in excavations do not fall apart into their component parts even after 8 centuries).
From the 14th century, bows began to be reinforced with horn stripes. Since the 15th century, iron strips came into use, but they did not become widespread. The bow handle and the ends of the shaft were lined with bone plates, fastened to the base with fish glue and tied with tendons.
This onion responded to changes in humidity and temperature, as it was made from organic materials. Ancient craftsmen sought to eliminate this feature, protecting the structure from dampness using special methods. So the pre-boiled birch bark was divided into thin strips that were used to wrap the bow - after this the weapon became truly all-weather. This is evidenced by a historical fact: during the 1444 battle between Russian troops and the Tatars, the latter could not shoot from bows, which had lost flexibility due to severe frost, while the Russian archers did not experience any difficulties.
In addition, Russian combat bows had a very special bowstring. In Europe they used hemp, which swelled in the rain, making it impossible to shoot. Russian archers used a bowstring made of silk, rawhide and twisted tendons, which retained their properties in any weather. A bowstring made from intestines was also in use (it was used only for dry weather, since it was greatly stretched in the rain).
The tension force of the Russian combat bow was 80 kg (an arrow fired from such a weapon nailed the rider to the horse, and pierced the steel armor). The rate of fire reached 20 rounds per minute. Perhaps this is why crossbows (crossbows, as they were called in Rus') did not become widely used, leaving primacy for a long time to the combat bow.
Armament of Russian soldiers in the 9th – 10th centuries. Bow and arrows August 18th, 2016
Here we need to make a retreat. Ancient bows are divided into two groups - simple and compound (modern ones also include a group compound bows). A simple bow is essentially a stick with string attachments. It is clear that this stick has undergone special processing, is made of special types of wood, etc. But from a constructive point of view, a simple bow remains a specially treated (straightened, dried, etc.) straight stick, which is bent and the string is pulled before shooting. To increase the power of such bows, and, consequently, the firing range and penetration ability, it was necessary to increase their linear dimensions. Simple bows were used by the Germanic peoples, the Frankish Empire and, in general, the peoples of Western Europe. In particular, the famous English archers owe their fame not to the bows themselves, which, although more powerful in comparison with the French ones, remained structurally simple, but to their skill and organization.
The arrows were made from common types of wood with a relatively straight trunk. The length was 75 - 90 cm (sometimes up to 105 cm) with a diameter of 7 - 10 mm. Feathers (stabilizers made from bird feathers) were glued to one side of the arrows. The feathers of the hawk, falcon, and seabird families were considered the best for plumage. An eye was cut out at the end of the arrow, where the bowstring entered when the bow was pulled. A tip was attached to the other end of the arrow. The tips differed in material, method of attachment to the shaft and the type of striking part. Iron and bone were used as materials for the tips. Attaching to the shaft was carried out in two competing ways. In the first case, a hole was drilled at the end of the shaft into which a long spike of the tip (petiole) was driven, after which the attachment point was reinforced using a continuous winding of thread and glue. In the second case, the tip was mounted on the end of the shaft, similar to the tip of a spear. Accordingly, the tips were called petioled and socketed. On the territory of Ancient Rus', petioled tips predominated. There is a very wide variety of arrowheads in terms of the shape of the striking part. Roughly, they can be divided into three large groups: wide two-blade shears, narrow faceted armor-piercing ones (with triangular, square, rhombic, hexagonal sections), and intermediate ones.
Slavic bows were widespread in Rus'. When it comes to the art of archery, in general about the culture of this type of weapon, first of all, as a rule, people think of England. Well, of course: here, from childhood, are the memorable ballads about Robin Hood (“He was a famous marksman, no one could shoot like him...”), and the “incomparable” archers of the English Middle Ages, glorified in the historical novels of Arthur Conan Doyle.
Meanwhile, both archaeological excavation data and surviving written sources testify: the bows used by the Slavs, as well as the Arabs, Persians, Turks, Tatars and other peoples of the East, were far superior to Western European ones - Scandinavian, English, German and others - both in the level of its technical perfection and combat effectiveness. For those who doubt, we will give an example. The maximum recorded distance for an aimless (that is, simply at a distance) shot from an English bow was 557 m. The arrow of the Turkish Sultan Murat Ghazi IV, who was fond of archery, once flew to 878.5 m. Accordingly, the ranges of aimed shooting also differed. Some English record holders hit a target at a distance of up to 220 m (for example, King Henry VIII), while for ordinary shooters the maximum striking distance was, according to calculations, 92 m. And in the Arab East greatest distance aimed shooting for undistinguished shooters was about 150 m.
In other words, many of the results that were record-breaking for the “incomparable” English shooters were close to ordinary for their Eastern and Slavic contemporaries. In Ancient Rus', for example, there was a unique measure of length - “strelishche” or “perestrel”, about 225 m. “When the husband finishes shooting,” it was defined in the 12th century, and they were talking about shooting to kill. “Shoot” also meant “to shoot through, to shoot through.” Apparently, our distant ancestors did not see anything special in “shooting” at a distance that was a record for the British. And the whole point here is in the design of the bow. In Western Europe, a bow was used, which weapons scientists rightly call “simple.” It was made from one piece of wood of a certain species (elm, yew, ash, hazel), seasoned and processed accordingly. The peoples of the East and Eastern Europe used the so-called compound onion. In general, Slavic onions appeared on the territory of Eastern Europe back in the Mesolithic era (from ten to five thousand years BC), that is, around the same time when the dog was domesticated.
On the rocks near the White Sea, images of archers made in the 3rd millennium BC have been preserved. The images show that their bows are simple, having a characteristic arched shape. Archaeologists have found the remains of such bows, as well as surviving arrows with stone tips. By the way, according to reviews from scientists who experimented with ancient weapons, arrows with “primitive” stone tips turned out to be very, very dangerous. The compound bow, as historians have found out, came to Eastern Europe along with the Scythians - in the 1st millennium BC - and immediately became widespread, being appreciated by the warriors and hunters of that time. By the 8th–9th centuries AD, the compound bow was used everywhere throughout the European part of modern Russia. Simple bows, which archaeologists occasionally come across in the layers of that era, were, apparently, intended for alerting on animal paths or served as children's toys: the art of archery required training from the very beginning. early age. Small, up to 1 m long, children's bows made of elastic juniper were found by scientists during excavations in Staraya Ladoga, Novgorod, Staraya Russa and other cities.
In historical films and fiction a curious stamp has taken root. When a warrior appears in a work - not a hero, an ordinary woman or girl, forced by force of circumstances to take up arms during an enemy invasion - the authors most often give her a bow. Apparently, it is assumed that a woman cannot wield a sword, spear or an ax, but a bow is just right. Like sniper rifle, in handling which does not require a large physical strength- if only I had a true eye and patience.
At the same time, for some reason they forget: in order to hit the enemy, the arrow must be fired at the target not only accurately, but also with appropriate force. Maximum range of modern sport shooting from a bow is 90 m - very modest compared to the aimed shooting distances of our ancestors. At the same time, the force required to draw a sports bow is about 20 kg. Just try to lift such a load off the ground: not everyone can easily overcome it. Not in vain sports commentators They keep repeating what a great job the shooters do in training. Meanwhile, the ancient bows, which warriors and hunters trusted with their lives, were much more powerful. Their tension force reached 80 kg!
When experimenters made copies of ancient bows from surviving samples and added several genuine ones to them, it turned out that strong modern men could hardly handle them. They managed to pull some of them with great difficulty, while others didn’t even have to be fired at all. Such a bow is simply beyond the strength of an unprepared person... In particular, one bow “offended” the researchers in this way - an authentic one, Tatar-made, with a leather bowstring. According to the stories of the family that provided the bow, its former owner (who lived in the 19th century) easily shot from it and accurately hit the target. The penetrating - and lethal - power of an arrow fired from a mighty ancient bow is sometimes difficult for modern people to even imagine, because we are accustomed to considering a bow as a “savage’s weapon.” But here are some facts. In 1428, an archery competition was held in England. The arrows of the record holders, fired from a distance of about 213 m, pierced an OAK board 5 cm thick. But we remember that the bows of the ancient Slavs were more perfect and more powerful than the English ones. From direct blow Neither a helmet, nor chain mail, nor solid knightly armor could save such an arrow. The armor protected the warrior only from touching hits, from accidental wounds...
Chronicles and historical evidence have brought to us news of war horses killed outright by one arrow, of a warrior being wounded in the chest by an arrow, and similar episodes. Archaeologists have found skulls - human and horse - with arrowheads remaining inside. At battle sites and in burials one comes across skeletons with vertebrae and even massive pelvic bones, crushed by an arrow.
Imitating the combat use of a bow, modern experimenters tried to shoot at a dummy dressed in chain mail made of the strongest damask steel. From a distance of 75 m, the arrow pierced both the chain mail and the mannequin. In a word - in skillful and strong hands, the Slavic bow was a terrible weapon, and not fun. The shooting instructions also indirectly testify to this. At distances of up to 60 m, they fired “direct fire” from a powerful bow, that is, they aimed exactly at the center of the target, without taking into account the force of gravity and without exceeding the target. And even at a distance of 150 m (remember 90 m for our athletes), the excess taken was very slight - the little finger of the left hand was brought to the top of the target. When the experimenters went hunting with their bows, a running deer was killed with one arrow from a distance of 75 m. An adult bear was killed on the spot 60 m away. A man armed with a Slavic bow and arrows was not at all as defenseless against a predatory animal or enemy as we are sometimes assured.
Taken from the encyclopedia of Maria Vasilievna Semenova WE ARE SLAVS!
Edited by Barabashka-1 specifically for the group: "Slavic Movement"
They say that English archers had no equal...
When it comes to the art of archery, in general about the culture of this type of weapon, first of all, as a rule, people think of England. Well, of course: here, from childhood, everyone remembers the ballads about Robin Hood (“He was a famous marksman, no one could shoot like him...”), and the “incomparable” archers of the English Middle Ages, glorified in the historical novels of Arthur Conan Doyle .
Meanwhile, both archaeological excavation data and surviving written sources testify: the bows used by the Slavs, as well as the Arabs, Persians, Turks, Tatars and other peoples of the East, were far superior to Western European ones - Scandinavian, English, German and others - both in the level of its technical perfection and combat effectiveness.
For those who doubt, we will give an example. The maximum recorded distance for an aimless (that is, simply at a distance) shot from an English bow was 557 m. The arrow of the Turkish Sultan Murat Ghazi IV, who was fond of archery, once flew to 878.5 m. Accordingly, the ranges of aimed shooting also differed. Some English record holders hit a target at a distance of up to 220 m (for example, King Henry VIII), while for ordinary shooters the maximum striking distance was, according to calculations, 92 m. And in the Arab East, the greatest aimed shooting distance for undistinguished shooters was about 150 m!
In other words, many of the results that were record-breaking for the “incomparable” English shooters were close to ordinary for their Eastern and Slavic contemporaries. In Ancient Rus', for example, there was a unique measure of length - “shooting” or “shooting”, about 225 m. “As if the husband will finish shooting,” it was defined in the 12th century, and they were talking about shooting to kill. “Shoot” also meant “to shoot through, to shoot through.” Apparently, our distant ancestors did not see anything special in “finishing the shot” at a distance that was a record for the British.
And the whole point here is in the design of the bow. In Western Europe, a bow was used, which weapons scientists rightly call “simple.” It was made from one piece of wood of a certain species (elm, yew, ash, hazel), seasoned and processed accordingly. The peoples of the East and Eastern Europe used the so-called compound bow, which will be discussed in detail.
In general, onions appeared on the territory of Eastern Europe back in the Mesolithic era (from ten to five thousand years BC), that is, around the same time when the dog was domesticated.
On the rocks near the White Sea, images of archers made in the 3rd millennium BC have been preserved. The images show that their bows are simple, having a characteristic arched shape. Archaeologists have found the remains of such bows, as well as surviving arrows with stone tips. By the way, according to the reviews of scientists who conducted experiments with ancient weapons, arrows with “primitive” stone tips turned out to be very, very dangerous...
The compound bow, as historians have found out, came to Eastern Europe along with the Scythians - in the 1st millennium BC - and immediately became widespread, being appreciated by the warriors and hunters of that time. By the 8th-9th centuries AD, the compound bow was used everywhere throughout the European part of modern Russia. Simple bows, which archaeologists occasionally come across in the layers of that era, were, apparently, intended for alerting on animal paths or served as children's toys: the art of archery required training from a very early age. Small, up to 1 m long, children's bows made of elastic juniper were found by scientists during excavations in Staraya Ladoga, Novgorod, Staraya Russa and other cities.
Compound bow device
.
If a simple bow with a bowstring on is a smoothly curved arc, then a complex one is more like the letter “M” with smooth bends. It is these bows that can be seen in all, without exception, ancient Russian images that have survived to this day.
The artist’s drawing shows an ancient Russian compound bow, restored by scientists from a large fragment found in Novgorod, in a layer of the first half of the 12th century. As it turned out, this find is similar to earlier ones (8th century), but much better preserved due to the moist clay soil. The Novgorod fragment, found in 1953, represents almost half of a whole bow, one of its lever arms. Having lain in the ground for eight centuries, the bow's shoulder was still capable of spring.
It consisted of two wooden planks, longitudinally glued together. On the inside of the bow (facing the shooter) there was a juniper bar. It was planed unusually smoothly, and where it was adjacent to the outer plank (birch), the ancient master made three narrow longitudinal grooves for filling with glue to make the connection more durable. Indeed - according to scientists, the fish glue that was
The planks were glued together and held up perfectly even eight centuries later.
The birch bar that made up the back of the bow (the outer half in relation to the shooter) was somewhat rougher than the juniper bar. Some researchers considered this to be the negligence of the ancient master. But others drew attention to a narrow (about 3-5 cm) strip of birch bark, which completely, spirally, wrapped around the bow from one end to the other. On the inner, juniper plank, the birch bark has remained extremely firmly in place to this day, while from the birch back, for unknown reasons, it has “come unstuck.” What's the matter?
Finally, we noticed an imprint of some longitudinal fibers remaining in the adhesive layer both on the birch bark braid and on the back itself. Then we noticed that the shoulder of the bow had a characteristic bend - outward, forward, towards the back. The end was especially bent.
All this suggested to scientists that ancient bow was also reinforced with tendons. Tendons soaked in fish glue (deer, elk, bovine) were placed along the back of the bow and securely secured with a winding at the handle and ends. The elastic and very strong fish glue used to glue complex bows did not prevent the stretching and contraction of the tendons. It was these tendons that bent the shoulders of the bow in the opposite direction when the string was removed.
Judging by archaeological data, starting from the 14th century, Russian bows began to be strengthened with horn stripes - “valances”. Since the 15th century, steel valances have appeared, sometimes mentioned in epics. However, they did not become widespread in Rus'.
The handle of the Novgorod bow was lined with smooth bone plates. The length of the grip of this “handle was about 13 cm, just about the size of an adult man’s hand. In cross-section, the handle had an oval shape and fit very comfortably in the palm.
Bow limbs were most often equal length. However, experts point out that the most experienced archers preferred bow proportions in which the middle point was not in the middle of the handle, but at its upper end - the place where the arrow passes. Thus, complete symmetry of the firing force was ensured.
Bone plates were also attached to the ends of the bow, where the bowstring loop was put on. In general, they tried to strengthen those parts of the bow with bone plates (they were called “knots”) where the joints of its main parts were located - the handle, shoulders (aka horns) and ends. After gluing the bone pads onto the wooden base, their ends were again wound with tendon threads soaked in glue.
The wooden base of the bow in Ancient Rus' was called “kibit”; linguists suggest that this word echoes the Arabic name for a simple bow - “kadib”. An even more similar word - "ka-bid" - was used by the Arabs to call the middle part of the bow, where the arrow slides after releasing the bowstring.
The Russian word “bow” comes from roots that had the meaning “bend” and “arc”. It is related to such words as “ZLUCHina”, “LUKOmorye”, “LUKav-stvo”, “LUKA” (saddle detail) and others, also associated with the ability to bend.
Onions, consisting of natural organic materials, reacted strongly to changes in air humidity, heat and frost. Medieval Arabic instructions brought to us recommendations on the design features of bows intended for use in different climatic conditions: in very hot, very frosty, dry or, conversely, too humid places. Everywhere quite certain proportions were assumed with the combination of wood, glue and tendons. Scientists confidently write that ancient Russian craftsmen were fully aware of this knowledge: their products exactly correspond to the recommendations for areas with a temperate climate. In addition, the above-mentioned strips of pre-boiled birch bark, which were used to cover the onions, were intended to protect them from dampness.
A lot of bows were required; in principle, each person had the necessary skills to make himself a good weapon, but it was better if the bow was made by an experienced craftsman. Such masters were called “archers.” The word "archer" has become established in our literature as a designation for a shooter, but this is incorrect: he was called a "shooter."
Let us remember how Robin Hood was afraid to get his bow wet while crossing the river.
But in Rus', according to the authoritative opinion of experts, they knew how to make “all-weather” bows that could shoot in cold, hot weather and even in the rain. The chronicle story about the winter battle with the Tatars, which took place in 1444, has been preserved. Because of the terrible frost, the Tatars could not shoot: "... from the great filth... their bows and arrows would not hit anything." Our soldiers successfully fired at the enemies.
Chapters from Maria Semyonova's book "We are Slavs!"
Addition:
There is an opinion that the compound bow came to Rus' with the Scythians. That's more likely how it was. But our ancestors didn’t just copy the Scythian bow, they made their own changes, and it was a completely different bow.
After making changes, it became different from the bows of nomads. It surpassed the nomadic bow in size and underwent design changes. But in Rus' they did not abandon the simple bow; hunters continued to use it, and with the help of it they taught the skill of archery.
Let's look at the design of a compound bow. The basis of the bow was a juniper plank, well planed and polished on all sides; it was located on the inside of the bow, facing the shooter. After pre-treatment, the workpiece was soaked in cold water, then heated over a fire and given the desired bend on a special board.
Next came a birch plank, also planed and sanded. Then it is wound in a helical manner with tendon threads soaked in glue. The tendons were taken from deer, elk or bovine. The thickness of this winding ranges from 0.5 to 3 mm, which influenced the strength of the future bow. When fired, the tendons stretched and contracted when the bowstring was released. Where the juniper strip was adjacent to the outer birch strip, three thin grooves were made to fill them with glue.
To ensure the correct bending of the bow when fired, the bow handle was lined with smooth and durable horn plates. The bow should bend not in the middle, but at the shoulders, and for such powerful bows this was of decisive importance. Without these pads, firstly, the bow would break on the first shot, and secondly, the thin design almost doubles the strength of the bow. The length of the horn plates averaged 12-14 cm. In cross-section, it had an oval shape - this is for the convenience of the archer. Most often, the handle was placed exactly in the center of the bow, but sometimes a little closer to one of the horns. This was done so that the arrow would be placed exactly in the middle of the bow - this would achieve the best balance of forces. To protect the wooden planks and not damage them with cuts for the bowstring, bone plates with cutouts for attaching the bowstring were attached to the ends of the bow. The pads were attached to the base using tendon threads soaked in fish glue.
Starting from the 14th century, bows began to be reinforced with “valances,” first with horn, later with metal plates that were laid along the back ( outside) onion.
1) wooden bow base
a - ends with a cutout for the bowstring
b - tendons
c - birch plank
g - juniper plank
and - the knot or junction of ends, laths and tendons
k - a node or junction of the tendons and bone linings of the bow handle
2) view of the wooden base of the bow from the inside and the layout of the bone plates
d - end plates with a cutout for the bowstring
e - side handle linings
g - lower grip pads on the inside of the bow
3) Layout of the bone plates on the bow (side view)
d - end plates
e - lateral
g - lower
and - the junction at the ends of the bow
k - connection point at the bow handle
4) securing the joints of the bow parts by wrapping tendon threads over glue and gluing the bow with birch bark
5) bow with string after pasting
6) onion in cross section
a - birch bark lining
b - tendons
c - birch plank
g - juniper plank;
unlike others, it could be used year-round, it was not afraid of moisture, cold, or heat; for this purpose, the onion was wrapped in pre-boiled birch bark. A chronicle mention of an unusual battle with the Tatars in 1444 has been preserved. Because of the frost, the Tatar bows were worthless: “... due to the great filth... their bows and arrows were worthless.” Thanks to this, the Russian warriors shot the enemy with their bows, not allowing them to even get close.
Since ancient times in Rus', people who made bows were called archers, and warriors who shot bows were called archers. Moreover, almost every man in Rus' was a “sagittarius”. They taught archery skills almost from the cradle. Already at 8-9, or even earlier, the boy went hunting with his father.
Combat use of the Russian bow.
Bows and arrows were extremely widely used in Ancient Rus'. They were the main and most important weapon for long-range combat and commercial hunting.
Each warrior necessarily had a bow in his arsenal. Bows were very effective in the fight against lightly armed, but maneuverable and numerous horsemen of the southern steppes - the Khazars, Pechenegs, and Cumans.
Almost all more or less significant battles could not be done without archers and began with a shootout. As a rule, riflemen were in front of the troops and on the flanks in marching order. Their task is to prevent a sudden raid by enemy cavalry and infantry and ensure the deployment of the main forces into battle formations.
When besieging or storming enemy cities, sagittarius archers if possible, they accurately “removed” enemies from the city walls or bombarded the city behind the wall with a deadly rain of arrows.
When protecting cities, on the contrary - sagittarius archers, standing on the walls and towers, fired either aimed fire at the “adversaries” or sent arrows at total weight the advancing enemy. Archers were also widely used to set up ambushes.
Sagittarius archers.
When going on a campaign, Russian warriors took only weapons and armor from home. The forage carts were small, so the bulk of the food was obtained in battle or by hunting.
From the Livonian Chronicles of the 13th century. It is known that in Rus' there were special detachments of archers who not only guarded the troops on the march, but also courageously withstood the first attacks of the enemy.
Byzantine historian of the 10th century. Leo the Deacon noted the enormous role of archers in the Russian army of the Kyiv prince Svyatoslav. They skillfully used bows and arrows both in defense and in open battle, and successfully used their tactics of shooting at the horses of the enemy cavalry. The Russians developed this tactic in the constant struggle against the raids of horse-drawn nomads of the southern Russian steppes.
We know what the “V” gesture means among English archers, and what the gesture meant in Rus' - a fist with the thumb pointed up. And the fact that our distant ancestor put a special ring on this finger, hooked the bowstring with it, holding the tip of the finger with the index and middle fingers, and began to target the enemy... It meant - we will win - everything is fine!
