Interesting Asiatic Bows in Russian Collections

Gleb · Post by **Gleb** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 9:41 am

The Russian work for thimble (in case for device protected finger when working with needle) – “naperstok” (наперсток) and it came from the old word for finger – “perst” (перст).
The only known thumbring depiction in Russian consists of at least two words with preposition: “ring for (archery) shooting”, ?кольцо для стрельбы из лука?.
The philologist might propose that the so long definition for thumbring in Russian means recent introduction of such archery style. The supposition can be right one if somewhere in written sources the other word for thumbring (Russian or borrowed from other languages) will be found.

Here are two pictures of 16 century that might be depicted thumbring shooting or Mongolian release.

Bede · Post by **Bede** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 10:52 pm

The absence of a word from books is not the same as the absence of the thing itself. Often people writing books are not interested in the technical details of a craft or in the local dialect words used for tools. Sometimes if a word sounds clumsy or foreign, it is ignored too.

Personally, I have seen little evidence for thumb rings in use by Russians in Russia. The few from graves were associated with the Mongol/Qipchaq burials of the 14th-15th century. I referenced one in my article on Early Archers' rings. There is strong evidence from other details of contemporary burials for strong Central Asian and Iranian influence on weapons and equipment. Possibly some was loot from the wars between the Ilkhans of Iran and the Horde of Batu and the rest might have been traded or made by immigrant workers.

The wood block print is certainly late enough for the thumb ring to be used by Russian troops. The other is from the painting of the battle of Orsha. Most of the archers are using a form of the Mediterranean release if examined carefully. However, I spotted some Tatar archers using the thumb draw. I will recheck it tonight. There is no reason that Russian archers would not be using thumb rings at this date.

Dusan · Post by **Dusan** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 2:41 pm

Beutiful bone plates in Cherson museum

Chernigovsk museum bones

Dusan · Post by **Dusan** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 3:03 pm

Interesting bow from Tula-"Tulskyj muzejnyj Zbrojnik"

detail

another bows from same muzeum

Bow from Budapest Mongol exhibition

This bow is visible only from piece of siah -kasan part but very interesting- its from Russian "Kulikovo pole" muzeum

detail of this part

another russian muzeum

Uzbek national muzeum, terible if this horsarchers country have only fue bows in museum and more from them are chinese...

Dusan · Post by **Dusan** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 3:12 pm

From Russian muz.

Poland muz.

Russia

Gleb · Post by **Gleb** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 5:12 pm

The waterfall of Russian treasures continues.

And some notes:
1. The Kulikovo Pole Museum bow and almost everything there (except archeology finds) are the modern replica made in the late 1990s/
2. The pictures from GIM (State Historical Mus in Moscow). The arrows seems to replica (could not find the final confirmation) but the quiver is the true one.

Dusan!

You find very interesting Mongol (?) birch bark closed quiver (Mongol exposition in Budapest). Is there any additional information or pictures of the spacemen?!

Gleb · Post by **Gleb** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 5:21 pm

The pictures from GIM (State Historical Museum)

Dusan · Post by **Dusan** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 5:33 pm

Oups !I dont know about reconstruction material in Kulikovo pole

But this siah looks interesting

This Budapest pics was from Vijskovo-Istoricheskij fotomuzej-(most of pics) , but only this 2...

Dusan · Post by **Dusan** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 7:36 pm

Todays KING- Ermitaz muzeum - Moscow, Russia- Moshevaya Balka bow vith 2 type goritos. 2 for braced bow and 7 - maybe more for unbraced bow (only 1 was in full size)

braced bow gorytos- 575mm long 230mm w in open side

goryt for unbraced boww- 850mm L , 190mm w -open , 90mm W bottom

Man ring in MB kurgan near bow

Gleb · Post by **Gleb** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 8:29 pm

Dusan,

The Hermitage Museum located in St. Petersburg (former Leningrad).

Please find the comparison of two Moschevaya Balka bows (the photo images and drawings).

Oops, I could not add any pictures. The server writes: Sorry, you have reached your maximum Upload Quota Limit of 2 MB (but the picture I want to upload is a little bit over 100 Kb). What's the problem?

Dusan · Post by **Dusan** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 9:00 pm

Yes , i am stupid -Ermitage-Petrograd

.Because of this kilobites problem i use free hosting.These drawings is well known her in Atarnet. I think this pics vith highest res. is new.

redhawk · Post by **redhawk** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 11:30 am

Gleb, you?re right, the Russian archaeologists are closest to those bows and arrows, quivers.................I know they have excavated thousands of archery-related items.

The kulikovo pole bow- seems to be a reconstruction of a Scythian- style design bow?
Where has the original been excavated?
It seems to be wrapped with birch- bark? The sides of the grip seems to be covered with bone- plates?(like the so -called Novgorod bows?)
Maybe you know some more details?

Michael

Dusan · Post by **Dusan** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 12:37 pm

Michael , if it help you , i found resturation master from Tula town , who made this Horse armour reconstruction from Kulikovo Pole muzeum- his name is: Eduard Vladimirovich Pochmelnov, +7910 9430676.
Muzeum sell this intersting katalog

Dusan · Post by **Dusan** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 9:21 pm

Gleb - its maybe interesting for you - Korean muzeum Taklamakan - Mongol bow, quiver

sveet quiver

Michael , this pics looks like the same reconstruction from Kulikovo P.

Stephen Selby · Post by **Stephen Selby** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 1:44 am

Apart from the top two photographs, I'm afraid the lower photos in the last post might be movie props.

Interesting Asiatic Bows in Russian Collections

russian bows.............