The History of Archery Around the World

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The bow and arrow dates back to thousands of years ago, it is estimated that they were found anywhere from 18,000BC to 25,000BC. They were used all over the world but the first arrowhead was discovered in Africa. There are many kinds of bows, the most common are the longbow and the recurve, there were many different styles created by several cultures during different times in history. In the Stone Ages, drawings discovered in caves illustrated many simple segment bows with many different shapes; flat, paddle-shaped bows were shot by Andaman Islanders. Some bows were made with wood like elm and yew, while others were made with many different materials like animal bones, horns and tendons; this was called the composite bow. The composite bow could either be made of wood and other materials or be made completely from different materials. In China, composite bows were comprised of newly harvested and dried bamboo. Scientists suggest that the bow originated from spear throwers and in between 18,000BC and 25,000BC fire was used to make stone arrowheads harder and feathers were added to make them more accurate.
During the Mesolithic period (20,000BC-7, 500BC) and Neolithic (7,500BC-3, 500BC) period illustrations of bows from that time appear on cave walls and rock faces. Several different kinds of bows were drawn, there were many long and short simple segment bows with more of a circular shape, but there were also more complex bow shapes, which suggests that they were composite bows. Composite bows were found in north Eastern Europe and Asia. The composite bow was a result of great need because wood wasn’t available in the regions where it was found. It was mostly used in North America, parts of South America and what is now Russia and ...

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From 1755 to 1760 the Indians fought the French in the French Indian war and relied on their archery skills to defend themselves. From 1700 to 1800 bows and arrows were still widely used by the Native Americans, but started to become familiar with guns and ended up using both for hunting and protection.
In 1904, 1908, and 1920 archery became a sport in the Olympics but was not included again until 1972. Minnesota was the first state to have a bow-hunting season, which started in 1934. In 1969 Holess Wilber Allen invented the compound bow.
Archery is no longer used in battles but is very popular as a recreational sport; you can shoot targets, 3-D animals, and moving targets. There are also leagues people of almost any age can participate in. Archery is also popular for hunting, bow-hunting seasons are held at all different times throughout the United States.

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