The Life and Times of Archery
The Life and Times of Archery
Introduction
Have you ever shot a bow, would you like to? Well I really love to shoot a bow and hunt with one.
Preview
Today I would like to take you through the history of archery throughout the centuries. I’m going to give you three main points about archery; early bows, how bows were used in Europe throughout the middle ages and how archery has evolved today.
Transition: The bow is born
I. Early bows. The earliest bows known to date were discovered in what is today Africa. They were simple and made from small saplings and were stung with animal sinew, which is dried animal guts. The Chinese made bows out of bamboo and were strung with vines, needless to say these bows weren’t very accurate or effective. When used for hunting they injured many more animals than they would have actually killed. They had very simple feather fletching and crude stone or flint arrowheads. The bow was what came to replace the spear and when used together they cave early people a huge advantage in hunting. This was the main use for early bows.
Transition: There is a new need for the bow.
II. The bows use throughout the middle ages in Europe As the middle ages came, uses for the bow changed dramatically. Rather than hunting, bows were now being used in war to kill other people instead of animals. Bow designs changed as well they got longer and were made from heavier larger pieces of wood. This was to increase range and killing ability. These new bows could be as long as or taller than the archer himself, and were ironically called “longbows”. long lines of bowmen played a key role in warfare at this time and charging troops could be wiped-out very quickly. Bows also proved very effective when they were used by soldiers riding horses or riding in chariots. In England the use of the bow started to hit a decline somewhere in the 15th century. This was mainly caused by a shortage of wood for making the bows. A grown
Introduction
Have you ever shot a bow, would you like to? Well I really love to shoot a bow and hunt with one.
Preview
Today I would like to take you through the history of archery throughout the centuries. I’m going to give you three main points about archery; early bows, how bows were used in Europe throughout the middle ages and how archery has evolved today.
Transition: The bow is born
I. Early bows. The earliest bows known to date were discovered in what is today Africa. They were simple and made from small saplings and were stung with animal sinew, which is dried animal guts. The Chinese made bows out of bamboo and were strung with vines, needless to say these bows weren’t very accurate or effective. When used for hunting they injured many more animals than they would have actually killed. They had very simple feather fletching and crude stone or flint arrowheads. The bow was what came to replace the spear and when used together they cave early people a huge advantage in hunting. This was the main use for early bows.
Transition: There is a new need for the bow.
II. The bows use throughout the middle ages in Europe As the middle ages came, uses for the bow changed dramatically. Rather than hunting, bows were now being used in war to kill other people instead of animals. Bow designs changed as well they got longer and were made from heavier larger pieces of wood. This was to increase range and killing ability. These new bows could be as long as or taller than the archer himself, and were ironically called “longbows”. long lines of bowmen played a key role in warfare at this time and charging troops could be wiped-out very quickly. Bows also proved very effective when they were used by soldiers riding horses or riding in chariots. In England the use of the bow started to hit a decline somewhere in the 15th century. This was mainly caused by a shortage of wood for making the bows. A grown
Bibliography: www.library.thinkquest.org/archeryhistory