There are two types of traditional bows – simple selfbows and the more
complicated composite bow. Selfbows are made from a single piece of carefully
seasoned timber although some bows were often reinforced with animal tendons
on the bows external surface to add strength and to provide protection against possible splintering.
Composite bows were constructed by gluing pounded animal tendons or sinew onto
a wooden bow core and reinforcing the inner part of the bow with horn jr in some cases even boneto create a powerful weapon. The bow would be further reinforced at the critical areas of the siyahs, the recurved section at the ends of the bows limbs, with pads of glued leather and also at the handle for greater strength.
All these materials could be used either in various configurations depending on the culture of the bow maker and the preference in design. These bows all share similar traits and are often classified into three main types – curved, L-shaped and M-shaped.
All of these types could be made using the basic construction of wood, horn and sinew
In different combinations. Most of these bows were made shorter than the all-wood
bows , often as short as 100 cm to around 200 cm when braced by the bowstring.
The finish of composite bows was also very different. To protect the water-soluble
glue and sinew from moisture in humid conditions, most composite bows required
some kind of waterproof or water-repelling substance or material. This could be some
kind of thin hide, tanned leather, strips of bark from the birch tree, cloth such as linen
or silk, or ever snake skin. The draw weight of these bows could range from 40 to 60 kg
at a pull often as long as 85 cm. When used during battle, the bows would be raised
to a 45 degree angle for maximum range, achieving distances from 250 to 300 meters.
More powerful bows, in the hands of the professional military archers and elite warriors,
could have a draw weight in excess of 60 kg.
Some famous historical examples from different time periods have bows pulling from
100-150 kg. The ranges that the arrows could achieve from such powerful bows have
been recorded at over 800 meters. The composite bow was used in almost all nations
of the Middle Ages up until around the 19-th century.
Often, the need for making of composite bow was due to limited availability of materials
to work with. Finding full-length selections of trees to make timber was not always
possible and so gluing together other components was the only means of constructing
a suitable weapon. This was usually the case in open areas with little to no trees such as
the Steppes. Many nomadic peoples were by necessity also a horse culture, for which
the shorter composite bow was much handier than a longer wooden bow to avoid striking
the horse when shooting. Even after mounted archers were no longer used in massed
armies, the proven designs and construction techniques of different types of composite bows were kept by skilled bowyers and replicated even to modern times.
Thanks for help Abraham Rodrigues