Composite bows of Russia and Scandinavia?

Sinsigel · Post by **Sinsigel** » Sun Apr 08, 2007 4:07 am

To this day, the only thing I've known about Russian archery was that the Mongolian bows had influence on Russian ones since the Mongolian Invasion of Russia in 13th century A.D.

However, although known from limited source, I've heard that Russians and even Scandinavians used composite bows in the medieval period before the conflict with Mongolians. One article in this forum discussed about Russian sinew backed bow of Novgorod.

Were composite bows of horn, sinew, and wood used among the Russians, Scandinavians, and other related people in the medieval era before the period of Mongols?

Orda Khan · Post by **Orda Khan** » Sun Apr 08, 2007 2:07 pm

I think it is safe to assume so, given the Rus trade routes with the eastern Romans. They also had contact with numerous steppe nomads before the Mongols.

Sinsigel · Post by **Sinsigel** » Sat May 05, 2007 1:23 am

I've seen this russian archery related(and interesting) picture in the forum's picture archive. Does anyone know the source of it? I wonder whether there are useful books or thesis about rusiian archery.

Stephen Selby · Post by **Stephen Selby** » Sat May 05, 2007 1:54 am

For Russo-Asian contacts, you could look at Lev Gumyilev "Dryevnyaya Rus' I Velyikaya Styep' " ISBN 5-17-021156-5. Moscow, 2004.
The illustration is from an old 'Standard Work' on Russian Bows and Arrows. Myevyedyev: "Luk I Stryelbi, Samostryel". ("Bows, Arrows and Crossbows".

Wild Russian · Post by **Wild Russian** » Fri Jun 22, 2007 4:46 am

I have Medvedev's book on my HDD and some Gumilev's. Need ftp to upload - Medvedev's book is about 50Mb of pics and some rtf text.
Lev Gumilev works can be downloaded here
http://lib.aldebaran.ru/author/gumilev_lev/
Maps for Gumilev's books and articles can be found here
http://gumilevica.kulichki.net/maps/index.html#ARGS

D.N. Anuchin's pre-October revolution book "Luk i streli" (Bow and arrows) can be downloaded here
http://up.spbland.ru/files/07052259/ as DJVU file 1.74 Mb or here
http://up.spbland.ru/files/07052266/ as PDF file 10.7 Mb

If somebody have troubles with Russian download instructions please let me know - little files can be emailed, large files need a place to upload...

All sites and books in Russian

ATTENTION! Lev Gumilev version of history sometimes radically different than common official history! And it's his own view ! You can trust it or not, it's your matter

)))

Any questions, comments etc are welcome

Wild Russian · Post by **Wild Russian** » Fri Jun 22, 2007 9:47 am

I must bring my apologies to Redhawk - some time ago, when he made and posted his replica of so-called Novgorod bow, I emailed to Michael and promised some info about this kind of bows...It was about 2 years ago...
Then I lost my HDD...and honestly? simply forgot about it...some data is lost...
Michael, my apologies...
But I can make quick summary and post it, or email it to Michael as to the starter of first German and atarn replica of "Novgorod" bow... to continue his thread))))
Michael, it's your decision)))
I'll try to make it tonight...
And we will need some guy to find an old magazine in Swedish libraries...
'cause I have only low-res scans now...This article is very important...

redhawk · Post by **redhawk** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 6:11 am

Thanks Wild Russian,

cause of my terrible accident last fall and my very time-consuming research on different types of Greek hornbows I didn?t have the time to care more for the Novgorod bow.
But I like this bow very much, it is a fine shooter and I?ll do more chronos and other tests with it. I?ll do this summer a shorter version of it, it will be very similiar to the Scythian bow-design.
Before I?ll begin I would like to read the article you were talking about.

Michael

Redhorse · Post by **Redhorse** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 1:42 pm

And we will need some guy to find an old magazine in Swedish libraries...

I can try.

Wild Russian · Post by **Wild Russian** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 4:19 pm

Michael, I have lo-res scans of this article...
Pics are visible, and some text too.... maybe if I could read in Swedish it will be more visible for me....))))
I'll email it to you tonight

Stig_Losnegaard · Post by **Stig_Losnegaard** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 10:43 am

Hi

Wild Russian: Is it possible you could email me a copy
of this (lo-res scans) article as well?

redhawk · Post by **redhawk** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 6:53 am

Hi Stig, Max has just migrated to Germany and I think he?ll not be able to sent you these scans for the next few weeks.
So tell me your email- adress via pm and I could mail you these scans.

Michael

Stig_Losnegaard · Post by **Stig_Losnegaard** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 9:21 am

Thank you very much Michael

I have sent you an email now.

Stig_Losnegaard · Post by **Stig_Losnegaard** » Tue Aug 21, 2007 10:03 am

There were pages from more than one article
in this PDF.
One english article and at least one (probably two) in swedish.
A friend of mine thought he recognized them.

I will try to find some time to read these articles:
"?rbyhusb?gen" (The Bow from ?rbyhus) by J. Alm
(This one says: Reprinted from "LIVRUSTKAMMAREN - Journal of The Royal Armoury Vol. V: 10-11")

"Jokkmokksb?gen rekonstruerad" ( The Bow from Jokkmokk - reconstructed) by Ragnar Insulander

"B?gfyndet fr?n Jokkmokk" (The Bow Find from Jokkmokk) by Andreas Oldeberg
(This one is suposedly taken from "Norrbottens l?ns hembygdsforenings ?rsbok 1956",
if any swedish reader want look for it).

My attempt to translate the titles of these articles.
All three articles are in swedish but "The ?rbyhus Bow" has an english summary at the end.

I haven't had a chance to read them yet but at least the ones about "Jokkmokk" may
be relevant.

Tuukka Kumpulainen · Post by **Tuukka Kumpulainen** » Sun Aug 26, 2007 7:56 am

The ?rbyhus and Jokkmokk bows are not composites of horn, wood and sinew, though, but laminated wood bows with a compression-pine belly and a birch back.

Stig_Losnegaard · Post by **Stig_Losnegaard** » Sun Aug 26, 2007 12:35 pm

The article "The ?rbyhus Bow" above is about the same bow
mentioned in the pages I received, however not the same article.
All or most of the swedish pages are maybe from "Den samiska pilb?gen p? ?rbyhus slott"
by Ragnar Insulander (Insulander Media, 1995). (The title should translate
to something like "The saami Bow at ?rbyhus Castle").

There are two pages in english among the JPGs. One beeing just a short english summary
about the "saami-bow" from (probably) an swedish article, the other I don't recognize.

Composite bows of Russia and Scandinavia?

Composite bows of Russia and Scandinavia?

composite bows of Russia......

I am in sweden

Composites of Russia...