bows & arrows, who had 'em first?

[john]

Don't forget that if we did go back to bows and arrows or swords it be the same people who'd be fighting, usually the poor working class while people like "whats his name" sat in their ivory towers and watched,probably yelling BRING UM ON !!

[Attalus]

Ah, yes, armor was a most expensive thing.

[Azred]

Evidence for very early bows has been found nearly all over the world, dating back to, as stated earlier, 30,000 years ago. There are no further clues pointing to one area having bows any significant time before any other area, so no one really had them "first".
A bow is simply the progressive improvement over the spear thrower, which dates back as far as 50,000 years ago.

The world-wide emergence of technology such as bows, pottery, and canoes at nearly the same point in time has always puzzled archaeologists and sociologists. Is this evidence that people are intelligent and came up with similar solutions to similar prolems, or was there an extremely early civilization we have yet to discover that spread a centralized technology all over the world? It sure would be nice to be able to look under all that ice covering Antarctica....

There is evidence that people didn't cross over a land bridge, but used canoes to dot the coast around the land bridge, which would have kept them supplied with fish and water. It is much easier to catch fish and seafood always makes a really good supplement to big game.

[SecretMaster]

Originally posted by Azred: Evidence for very early bows has been found nearly all over the world, dating back to, as stated earlier, 30,000 years ago. There are no further clues pointing to one area having bows any significant time before any other area, so no one really had them "first". A bow is simply the progressive improvement over the spear thrower, which dates back as far as 50,000 years ago. The world-wide emergence of technology such as bows, pottery, and canoes at nearly the same point in time has always puzzled archaeologists and sociologists. Is this evidence that people are intelligent and came up with similar solutions to similar prolems, or was there an extremely early civilization we have yet to discover that spread a centralized technology all over the world? It sure would be nice to be able to look under all that ice covering Antarctica.... There is evidence that people didn't cross over a land bridge, but used canoes to dot the coast around the land bridge, which would have kept them supplied with fish and water. It is much easier to catch fish and seafood always makes a really good supplement to big game.

Heh, IW has ourselves a historian. But seriously, thats pretty cool, never knew that.

[Azred]

Originally posted by SecretMaster: Heh, IW has ourselves a historian. But seriously, thats pretty cool, never knew that.

Thank you. I am a student of many disciplines. [img]graemlins/petard.gif[/img]

[InsaneBane]

Originally posted by Timber Loftis: Bows, however, are nothing to laugh at. I read somewhere English longbowmen could consistently peg targets from ranges of 100 to 300+ meters. [img]graemlins/wow.gif[/img] That's hard with a good gun and scope.

Being a good long bow archer was something that you were brought up to be. The archers were trained already as kids in drawing the string and hiting the target. The archaeologists can easily tell the skeleton of archers from skeletons of other 'normal' soldiers by changes in the bones of the shoulder and the arm. The long bow men were high estimated and respected by both their fellow soldiers and their enemy.

When the crossbow was invented though, anyone with some short training could aim and hit at a distance. To be a cross bow archer was not a very respected role on the battle field. Suddenly the knights in their expensive armour could be taken down by some unexperienced young lad with a single cross bow bolt. In a short period it was very common to execute all captured cross bow men, just to 'scare' the enemies cross bow men to engage in a 'fair' fight instead of using the cross bow.

[img]graemlins/greenbounce.gif[/img]
Insane

[Timber Loftis]

Originally posted by Attalus: Ah, yes, armor was a most expensive thing.

And then along came the crossbow.

[cloud ff7 38]

look people kill because there is little effort you pull a trigger if they had to put work into it well we all know the american way so less killing would come from the sword. Also less terrisom because no bombs. So SWORDS AND BOWS ALL THE WAY!!!!!!!!!!!

[SecretMaster]

Yup, thats why i want swords Cloud.

[johnny]

Originally posted by cloud ff7 38: look people kill because there is little effort you pull a trigger if they had to put work into it well we all know the american way so less killing would come from the sword. Also less terrisom because no bombs. So SWORDS AND BOWS ALL THE WAY!!!!!!!!!!!

Define "the American way" please, cause it sounds quite insulting if you ask me.

And do you watch the news ? Seen anything about Liberia lately ? Most casualties there are because of machette wielding lunatics. You think they shed less blood ?