A Brief History of Archery
Whether you’re a hunter or a hobbyist, it’s important to know your heritage — and the history of the bow and arrow is as extensive as human history. Humans have relied on this simple tool for both hunting and war since time immemorial. Let’s dive into a brief history of archery and learn more about the ancient art we practice.
The Earliest Recorded Uses of Bows and Arrows
The earliest evidence we have for the use of bows by hunters (paintings, arrowheads, and preserved bows) dates back to around 20,000 to 10,000 BC, although humans may have used these tools tens of thousands of years before this. It’s around 3,500 BC when we see art with the first depictions of a civilization using bows and arrows consistently for hunting and war. Egypt is the earliest known example.
From there, the history of the bow and arrow is much easier to trace. We see bows developing tailored to the practices of each civilization. Take, for example, the nomadic Scythians of the 9th to 1st centuries BC, one of the first civilizations to use mounted archery. They designed compact recurve-esque bows that could easily be handled by riders.
Or, take the yumi, a Japanese bow. The first images of the iconic asymmetrical Japanese longbow (which stood a little over two meters tall) can be traced to around the 3rd to 4th…
