A Study of Bows and Arrows - Saxton T. Pope

A Study of Bows and Arrows

By Saxton T. Pope

  • Release Date: 2015-10-14
  • Genre: Sports & Outdoors

Description

A contest of strength between peoples will always interest human beings; rivalry in the arms and implements of war is one of the fascinations of national competition. It is therefore a matter of interest both to the anthropologist and the practical archer to know what is the actual casting quality and strength of the best specimens of bows of different aboriginal tribes and nations of the world. And, as further incentive to this study, is the rapid disappearance of archery as civilization advances. 

In the following experiments a detailed test of the shooting quality of a series of bows was undertaken, and with it certain correlated experiments concerning the penetration of arrows. Most of these bows were selected from hundreds in possession of the Museum of Anthropology of the University of California. They are the best preserved and strongest specimens in that large collection. In no instance is it apparent that age has led to deterioration in their strength. In fact, the greatest modern flight shot—four hundred and fifty-nine yards—has recently been made by Ingo Simon at La Tourque, France, with a Turkish composite bow reported to be nearly two hundred years old. Age increases the brittleness, resiliency, and casting power of a wooden bow up to the point where fragility renders it unsafe to shoot. In all our tests we broke only two bows: a specimen from the Yukon, and an Osage Indian bow. To insure that no personal element of muscular weakness entered into the problem of the casting power of these weapons I had them shot by an old and experienced archer, Mr. W. J. Compton, a very powerful man and one accustomed to shoot the bow for more than thirty years. I also was able to draw the strongest of these bows, and myself checked up the results. 

This illustrated classic is organized as follows: 

Introduction 

Preliminary Considerations 
Bows 
Arrows 
Flight Shooting 

Bows 
Bows Chiefly From the University of California 
Jessop Bows 
Bows From the American Museum of Natural History 
Tartar Bows 
Japanese Bows 
Negrito Bow 
Polynesian Bow 
Replicas of Ancient Bows 
An Experiment on Bow Strings 
Experimental Data on Bow Wood 

Arrows 
Penetration of Arrows 
Velocity of Arrows 
Striking Force of Arrows 
Characteristic Features of Arrows 
Experiments in Rigidity of Arrows 
Arrow Feathers 
Experiment in Arrow Rotation 
Different Arrowheads and Their Penetration 
Comparative Penetration of Steel and Obsidian Heads 
Penetration of the Bodkin Point 
Penetration of Hunting Arrows 
The Flight of Aboriginal Arrows 
Comparison of Arrows 
Comparison of Arrows and Bullets 

Conclusions 

Illustrations 
Plate 45. An Old Painting of St. Sebastian 
Plate 46. Bows Used in the Tests 
Plate 47. Bows Used in the Tests 
Plate 48. Bows and Arrows From the Jessop Collection 
Plate 49. American Museum of Natural History Bows 
Plate 50. Tartar Bows 
Plate 51. Japanese Archer and Bow 
Plate 52. Negrito, Cliff-Dweller, and Wintun Bows and Arrows 
Plate 53. Replicas of Turkish Composite and English Bows 
Plate 54. Arrows Used in Tests 
Plate 55. Aboriginal Arrows in the University Museum of Anthropology 
Plate 56. Various Arrows 
Plate 57. Arrow Heads Used in Penetration Tests 
Plate 58. Ancient Syrian Arrowheads 
Plate 59. Arrows Penetrating a Fir Board 
Plate 60. Skull Pierced Through the Orbit by an Arrow 
Plate 61. Arrow Shot Through a Coat of Mail 
Plate 62. Penetration of Arrows 
Plate 63. Penetration of Arrows 
Plate 64. Penetration of Obsidian in Bone

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