Out of all existent weapons, elves are most skillful with the bow. The history of archery leads back to ancient times as old and 50,000 B.C. Ever since then, skilled hunters have used the bow for the hunting of game and warfare and the bow had been a deadly weapon.
However, as more advanced weapons were invented, the popularity was the bow began decreasing, and it was soon replaced by the gun. Despite that, archery has an interesting history and has helped humankind for thousands of years.
Since the first stone arrowheads were discovered in Africa, we concluded that the bow and arrow was found in Africa in around 50,000 B. C. By 25,000 B.C., flint arrowheads were shaped to a point and inserted into a slot and tied with sinew to the front of the arrow. Fire hardened points at the tip of the arrow made the arrow much more lethal. Feathers were glued and tied to the shafts to make the arrow more aerodynamic and let it speed through the air with great ease.
In 9,000 B.C., arrow shafts have appeared in Germany, and bows were found in Denmark in around 8,000 B.C. to 6,000 B.C. In Sicily in 11,000 B.C., bows have already been cruelly used for warfare; in a burial tomb in San Theodoro Cave, a skeleton was found with a fragment of a flint arrowhead in its pelvis. In Denmark, advanced people made tillered bows, which are bows that have an even amount of bend on the top and the bottom limbs, out of elm and yew. By the end of 6000 B.C., has greatly advanced.
Archery advanced even more by 2,800 B.C. At that time, the Egyptians had invented the composite bow, a bow that resembled the shape of a C when it is unstrung. This sturdy bow was made from wood, tipped with animal horn, and was held together with animal sinew and glue. Bowstrings at the time were made from catgut, a material obtained and made from sheep intestines.
During 2,800 B.C., Egyptians started using archers on back on light chariots. Then, these archers would be organized into highly trained units able to quickly out-flank an enemy. Since the arrows were extremely light, they could be shot a distance of up to 366 meters when used with a composite bow. Even the armor of day wasn't enough protection for these devastating weapons.
As time passed, archery became much more advanced and complex. Around 300 - 200 B.C. the Magyar (Hungarian) Recurve Bow was invented, This bow resembled a more rigid C that was flat during the center and curve around 120 degrees inward at the edges. This astounding bow had a length of 130 cm, a width of 0.6 - 3.2 cm, and a thickness of 0.6 - 4.6 cm. By 1,440 A.D., the Center Shot Stone Bow had been made. This advanced bow had the normal C shaped curve, but it contained a curve for increased accuracy. Split bowstring was also used on this bow to promise increased power and accuracy. Throughout the centuries, archery has become much more advanced and dangerous.
People's interest in archery has helped it advance significantly. A newer advance to archery has been the crossbow., which makes archery even more threatening. Since the 1,800s, archery competitions and associations have been created, and archery is even an event in the Olympics! Elves were very wise to master the crossbow, a weapon that can inflict massive amount of damage on its opponents.
