Lably
Skip to content

Recurve bow

Type of bow shape in archery

  • 8 min read
  • 4 chapters

Related on Lably

Through Arrow, Stress (mechanics) and Greeks

LabTreasure MapLab · Class 11Mechanical Properties of SolidsLab · Class 11Forces in BridgesLab · Class 6–12Ancient Indian Ocean Trade

Recurved limbs also put greater stress on the materials used to make the bow, and they may make more noise with the shot. Extreme recurves make the bow unstable when being strung. An unstrung recurve bow can have a confusing shape and many Native American weapons, when separated from their original owners and cultures, were incorrectly strung backwards and destroyed when attempts were made to shoot them. A test performed by Hepworth and Smith in 2002 of a preparation manufactured from bovine tendon and pearl glue and used in traditional Asiatic recurve bows showed that the composite "was found to absorb 18 MJ/m3 of energy to failure, comparable to carbon fibre composites, spring steel and butyl rubber."

Historical use

Recurve bows made out of composite materials were used by, among other groups, the Persians, Parthians, Sarmatians, Scythians, Alans, Dacians, Cumans, Hyksos, Magyars, Huns, Bulgars, Greeks, Turks, Mongols, Koreans and Chinese.

The recurve bow spread to Egypt and much of Asia in the second millennium BC.

Perhaps the most ancient written record of the use of recurved bows is found Psalm 78:57 ("They were turned aside like a deceitful bow", in the King James version), which is dated by most scholars to the eighth century BC.

19th century Bible scholar Adam Clarke pointed out that "If a person, who is unskillful or weak, attempt to recurve and string one of these bows, if he take not great heed, it will spring back, and regain its quiescent position; and, perhaps, break his arm. And sometimes I have known it, when bent, to start aside, – regain its quiescent position, to my no small danger... this is precisely the kind of bow mentioned by Homer, Odyssey xxi, which none of Penelope's suitors could bend, called καμπυλα τοξα [kampula toxa] in the state of rest; but τοξον παλιντονον [toxon palintonon], the recurved bow when prepared for use."

The standard weapon of Roman imperial archers was a composite recurve, and the stiffening laths (also called siyah in Arabic/Asian bows and szarv (horn) in Hungarian bows) used to form the actual recurved ends have been found on Roman sites throughout the Empire, as far north as Bar Hill Fort on the Antonine Wall in Scotland.

The Turkish archer used recurve bows, which were manufactured from laminates of wood glued with animal tissue like horn and sinew, to great destructive effect during the reign of the Ottomans.

Its use by the Mongol armies allowed massed individuals on horseback to raid from the Pacific to central Europe, thanks to the relatively short length of recurve bows, with which archers could maneuver while seated on their mount. The rise of the Mongols can be partially attributed to the good range and power of the bows of Genghis Khan's armies. These bows were made of a bamboo core, with horn on the belly (facing towards the archer) and sinew on the back, bound together with animal glue.

During the Middle Ages composite recurve bows were used in the drier European countries because the laminate glue would not moisten and thereby lose its adhesive power; the all-wooden straight longbow was the normal form in wetter areas. Recurve bows depicted in the British Isles (see illustrations in "The Great War Bow") may have been composite weapons, or wooden bows with ends recurved by heat and force, or simply artistic licence.

The bows of many Indigenous North Americans were recurved, especially West Coast Indian bows.

Recurve bows went out of widespread use in warfare with the greater availability of effective firearms in various nations at the end of the 19th century.

In Ancient China, recurve bow had a long history in battles. During the battle between the Song dynasty and the states of Liao and Jin, the utilization of recurve bows was widely recorded. During the Ming Dynasty, a deeper modification was applied and named as the Ming-style recurve bow.

Sign in to keep reading

3 more chapters are free with a Lably account.

More in Weapons

FirearmGun for an individualFrigateType of warshipDestroyerType of warship intended to escort other larger shipsU-boatGerman submarineWeaponImplement or device used to inflict damage, harm, or killTear gasChemical weapon