Editing Bow and arrow (section)

==History==
{{Main|History of archery}}
[[File:Scythians shooting with bows Kertch antique Panticapeum Ukrainia 4th century BCE.jpg|thumb|[[Scythians]] shooting with bows, [[Panticapeum]] (modern [[Kertch]]), 4th century BCE]]

The oldest known evidence of the bow and arrow comes from South African sites such as [[Sibudu Cave]], where likely arrowheads have been found, dating from approximately 72,000–60,000 years ago.<ref name="Backwell">{{Cite journal|doi=10.1016/j.jas.2007.11.006|title=Middle Stone Age bone tools from the Howiesons Poort layers, Sibudu Cave, South Africa |year=2008 |last1=Backwell |first1=Lucinda |last2=d'Errico |first2=Francesco |last3=Wadley |first3=Lyn |journal=Journal of Archaeological Science|volume=35|issue=6|pages=1566–1580|bibcode=2008JArSc..35.1566B }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Wadley |first1=Lyn |year=2008 |title=The Howieson's Poort industry of Sibudu Cave |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/261903034 |journal=South African Archaeological Society Goodwin Series |volume=10 |pages=122–132 |jstor=40650023}}</ref><ref name="Lombard">{{Cite journal|title=Indications of bow and stone-tipped arrow use 64,000 years ago in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa |journal=Antiquity |volume=84 |issue=325 |pages=635–648 |year=2010 |doi=10.1017/S0003598X00100134 |vauthors=Lombard M, Phillips L |s2cid=162438490}}</ref><ref name="Lombard M">{{Cite journal|title=Quartz-tipped arrows older than 60 ka: further use-trace evidence from Sibudu, Kwa-Zulu-Natal, South Africa |journal=Journal of Archaeological Science |year=2011 |doi=10.1016/j.jas.2011.04.001 |vauthors=Lombard M|volume=38 |issue=8 |pages=1918–1930 |bibcode=2011JArSc..38.1918L }}</ref><ref name="Backwell2018">{{Cite journal |doi=10.15184/aqy.2018.11 |title=The antiquity of bow-and-arrow technology: Evidence from Middle Stone Age layers at Sibudu Cave |year=2018 |last1=Backwell |first1=Lucinda |last2=Bradfield |first2=Justin |last3=Carlson |first3=Kristian J. |last4=Jashashvili |first4=Tea |last5=Wadley |first5=Lyn |last6=d'Errico |first6=Francesco |journal=Antiquity |volume=92 |issue=362 |pages=289–303 |s2cid=166154740|doi-access=free |hdl=11336/81248 |hdl-access=free }}</ref><ref name="Lombard2020">{{Cite journal |title=The tip cross-sectional areas of poisoned bone arrowheads from southern Africa |journal=Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports |volume=33 |year=2020 |doi=10.1016/j.jasrep.2020.102477 |vauthors=Lombard M|page=102477 |bibcode=2020JArSR..33j2477L |s2cid=224889105}}</ref>

The earliest probable arrowheads found outside of Africa were discovered in 2020 in [[Fa Hien Cave]], [[Sri Lanka]]. They have been dated to 48,000 years ago. "Bow-and-arrow hunting at the Sri Lankan site likely focused on monkeys and smaller animals, such as squirrels, Langley says. Remains of these creatures were found in the same sediment as the bone points."<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.sciencenews.org/article/clues-earliest-known-bow-arrow-hunting-outside-africa-found |title=Clues to the earliest known bow-and-arrow hunting outside Africa have been found |date=June 12, 2020 |website=www.sciencenews.org |access-date=June 17, 2020 |archive-date=June 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200617215305/https://www.sciencenews.org/article/clues-earliest-known-bow-arrow-hunting-outside-africa-found |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>Bows and arrows and complex symbolic displays 48,000 years ago in the South Asian tropics. {{cite journal |doi=10.1126/sciadv.aba3831|title=Bows and arrows and complex symbolic displays 48,000 years ago in the South Asian tropics|year=2020|last1=Langley|first1=Michelle C.|last2=Amano|first2=Noel|last3=Wedage|first3=Oshan|last4=Deraniyagala|first4=Siran|last5=Pathmalal|first5=M.M|last6=Perera|first6=Nimal|last7=Boivin|first7=Nicole|last8=Petraglia|first8=Michael D.|last9=Roberts|first9=Patrick|journal=Science Advances|volume=6|issue=24|pages=eaba3831|pmid=32582854|pmc=7292635|bibcode=2020SciA....6.3831L}}</ref>

Small stone points from the [[Grotte Mandrin]] in Southern France, used some 54,000 years ago, have damage from use that indicates their use as projectile weapons, and some are too small (less than 10mm across as the base) for any practical use other than as arrowheads.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Metz |first1=Laure |last2=Lewis |first2=Jason E. |last3=Slimak |first3=Ludovic |title=Bow-and-arrow, technology of the first modern humans in Europe 54,000 years ago at Mandrin, France |journal=[[Science Advances]] |date=24 February 2023 |volume=9 |issue=8 |pages=eadd4675 |doi=10.1126/sciadv.add4675 |language=en |issn=2375-2548|doi-access=free |pmid=36812314 |pmc=9946345 |bibcode=2023SciA....9D4675M }}</ref> They are associated with possibly the first groups of [[Early European modern humans|modern humans]] to leave Africa.<ref>{{cite journal|first1=L.|last1=Slimak|first2=C.|last2=Zanolli|first3=T.|last3=Higham|display-authors=et al.|year=2022|title=Modern human incursion into Neanderthal territories 54,000 years ago at Mandrin, France|journal=Science Advances|volume=8|issue=6|pages=eabj9496 |doi=10.1126/sciadv.abj9496|pmid=35138885 |pmc=8827661 |bibcode=2022SciA....8J9496S |ref={{harvid|Slimak, Zanolli & Higham 2022}} }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Metz |first1=Laure |last2=Lewis |first2=Jason E. |last3=Slimak |first3=Ludovic |date=24 February 2023 |title=Bow-and-arrow, technology of the first modern humans in Europe 54,000 years ago at Mandrin, France |journal=Science Advances |volume=9 |issue=8 |pages=eadd4675 |doi=10.1126/sciadv.add4675 |pmc=9946345 |pmid=36812314|bibcode=2023SciA....9D4675M }}</ref>

After the [[Last Glacial Period#Deglaciation|end of the last glacial period]], some 12,000 years ago, the use of the bow seems to have spread to every inhabited region except for Australasia and most of Oceania.<ref> {{cite journal |last=George |first=N. |year=2024 |title=Is Australian Flora Unsuitable for the Bow-and-Arrow? |journal=Economic Botany |pages=1–16 |doi= |volume= |issue= |publisher= |url= }}</ref> The reason for the absence of locally-made bow and arrow technology from the Australian continent, when it was widely and commonly used elsewhere, has long been debated. It has recently been hypothesised that it is because the mechanical and physical properties of common Australian woods make them unsuitable for selfbows.<ref> {{cite journal |last=George |first=N. |year=2024 |title=Is Australian Flora Unsuitable for the Bow-and-Arrow? |journal=Economic Botany |pages=1–16 |doi= |volume= |issue= |publisher= |url= }}</ref> 

The earliest definite remains of bow and arrow from [[Europe]] are possible fragments from [[Germany]] found at Mannheim-Vogelstang dated 17,500–18,000 years ago, and at Stellmoor dated 11,000 years ago. [[Azilian]] points found in [[Grotte du Bichon]], [[Switzerland]], alongside the remains of both a [[bear]] and a hunter, with [[flint]] fragments found in the bear's third [[vertebra]], suggest the use of arrows at 13,500 years ago.<ref>"La grotte du Bichon, un site préhistorique des montagnes neuchâteloises", Archéologie neuchâteloise 42, 2009.</ref>

At the site of [[Nataruk]] in [[Turkana County]], Kenya, [[obsidian]] bladelets found embedded in a [[skull]] and within the [[thoracic cavity]] of another [[skeleton]], suggest the use of stone-tipped arrows as weapons about 10,000 years ago.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Inter-group violence among early Holocene hunter-gatherers of West Turkana, Kenya |journal=Nature |pages=394–398 |volume=529 |issue=7586 |doi=10.1038/nature16477 |first1=M. Mirazón |last1=Lahr |first2=F. |last2=Rivera |first3=R.K. |last3=Power |first4=A. |last4=Mounier |first5=B. |last5=Copsey |first6=F. |last6=Crivellaro |first7=J.E. |last7=Edung |first8=J.M. Maillo |last8=Fernandez |first9=C. |last9=Kiarie |pmid=26791728 |year=2016 |bibcode=2016Natur.529..394L |s2cid=4462435 |url=https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/253726 |access-date=2019-07-12 |archive-date=2020-02-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200214144122/https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/253726 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The oldest extant bows in one piece are the elm [[Holmegaard bow]]s from [[Denmark]], which were dated to 9,000 BCE. Several bows from Holmegaard, Denmark, date 8,000 years ago.<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1002/evan.21560|pmid=29446556|title=The origins and early elaboration of projectile technology|journal=Evolutionary Anthropology: Issues, News, and Reviews|volume=27|issue=1|pages=30–45|year=2018|last1=O'Driscoll|first1=Corey A|last2=Thompson|first2=Jessica C|doi-access=free}}</ref> High-performance wooden bows are currently made following the Holmegaard design. The Stellmoor bow fragments from northern Germany were dated to about 8,000 BCE, but they were destroyed in [[Hamburg]] during the [[World War II|Second World War]], before [[carbon 14 dating]] was available; their age is attributed by archaeological association.<ref>Collins ''Background to Archaeology''</ref>

[[File:Savo.vaakuna.svg|thumb|upright|Bow and arrow pictured in the [[coat of arms]] of the historical province of [[Savonia (historical province)|Savonia]]]]
The bow was an important weapon for both [[hunting]] and [[prehistoric warfare|warfare]] from prehistoric times until the widespread use of [[gunpowder]] weapons in the 16th century.{{citation needed|date=July 2021}} It was also common in [[ancient warfare]], although certain cultures would not favor them.  Greek poet [[Archilocus]] expressed scorn for fighting with bows and [[Sling (weapon)|slings]].<ref name=Kend>{{cite book|last=Pritchett|first=W. Kendrick|title=The Greek State at War: Part V|date=1974|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=9780520073746}}</ref>

The skill of [[Nubia]]n archers was renowned in [[ancient Egypt]]  and beyond.<ref name=":0">Fisher, Marjorie M.; Lacovara, Peter (2012). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=Lu6nZwEACAAJ Ancient Nubia: African Kingdoms on the Nile]''. Cairo · New York: American University in Cairo Press. pp. 6, 16. {{ISBN|978-977-416-478-1}}.</ref> Their mastery of the bow gained their land the name ''Ta-Seti'', "Land of the Bow" in Ancient Egyptian.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bekerie |first=Ayele |date=2004 |title=Ethiopica: Some Historical Reflections on the Origin of the Word Ethiopia |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/27828841 |journal=International Journal of Ethiopian Studies |volume=1 |issue=2 |pages=114 |jstor=27828841 |issn=1543-4133}}</ref>

Beginning with the reign of [[William the Conqueror]], the [[longbow]] was England's principal weapon of war until the end of the Middle Ages.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hardy |first=Robert |title=Longbow: A Social and Military History |publisher=Haynes Publishing PNC |year=2006 |isbn=9781852606206 |pages=46}}</ref> [[Genghis Khan]] and his [[Mongol horde]]s conquered much of the Eurasian steppe using short bows. Native Americans used archery to hunt and defend themselves during the days of English and later American colonization.<ref>{{Cite web |title=washingtonpost.com: History of Archery and the NAA |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/olympics/longterm/archery/archhist.htm |access-date=2022-08-09 |website=www.washingtonpost.com}}</ref>

Organised warfare with bows ended in the early to mid-17th century in [[Western Europe]], but it persisted into the 19th century in Eastern{{clarify|date=May 2016}} cultures, including hunting and warfare in the [[New World]]. In the [[Northern Canada|Canadian Arctic]], bows were made until the end of the 20th century for hunting [[caribou]], for instance at [[Igloolik]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/search.aspx?searchText=Noah+Piaguttuq+bow |title= Bow made by Noah Piagguttuq 1994}}</ref> The bow has more recently been used as a weapon of [[tribal warfare]] in some parts of [[Sub-Saharan Africa]]; an example was documented in 2009 in Kenya when [[Kisii people]] and [[Kalenjin people]] clashed, resulting in four deaths.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.archery-den.com/history-of-bows/|title=History of Bows|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170802082048/http://www.archery-den.com/history-of-bows/|archive-date=2017-08-02|date=2016-12-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://content.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1722198,00.html|title=Kenyan Tribes Wage a War With Bows and Arrows – Photo Essays|magazine=Time |access-date=4 May 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019154958/http://content.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1722198,00.html|archive-date=19 October 2017}}</ref>

The British upper class led a revival of archery as a sport in the late 18th century.<ref name="Johnes">{{cite journal |last=Johnes |first=Martin |url=https://swansea.academia.edu/MartinJohnes/Papers/127610/Archery--Romance-and-Elite-Culture-in-England-and-Wales--c--1780-1840 |title=Archery, Romance and Elite Culture in England and Wales, c. 1780–1840 |journal=History |year=2004 |volume=89 |issue=294 |pages=193–208 |access-date=2013-03-26 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100617163624/http://swansea.academia.edu/MartinJohnes/Papers/127610/Archery--Romance-and-Elite-Culture-in-England-and-Wales--c--1780-1840 |archive-date=2010-06-17 |doi=10.1111/j.1468-229X.2004.00297.x }}</ref> Sir [[Ashton Lever]], an antiquarian and collector, formed the Toxophilite Society in [[London]] in 1781, under the patronage of [[George IV of the United Kingdom|George IV]], then [[Prince of Wales]].

Bows and arrows have been used by modern [[special forces]] for survival and clandestine operations.<ref>The Handbook Of The SAS And Elite Forces. How The Professionals Fight And Win. Edited by Jon E. Lewis. p.488-Tactics And Techniques, Survival. Robinson Publishing Ltd 1997. ISBN 1-85487-675-9</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sof |first=Eric |date=2021-01-12 |title=Right tool for the job: Bow and arrow in modern warfare |url=https://special-ops.org/bow-and-arrow-in-modern-warfare/ |access-date=2023-04-19 |website=Spec Ops Magazine}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Fratus |first=Matt |date=2022-07-06 |title=Behind The Photo: Why This MACV-SOG Commando Carried A 55-pound Bow Into Battle |url=https://coffeeordie.com/macv-sog-bow-arrows/ |access-date=2023-04-19 |website=[[Black Rifle Coffee Company|Coffee or Die]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hollings |first=Alex |date=2019-09-12 |title=Classic Special Forces footage shows the deadly value of a bow and arrow in combat |url=https://sofrep.com/news/classic-special-forces-footage-shows-the-deadly-value-of-a-bow-and-arrow-in-combat/ |access-date=2023-04-19 |website=SOFREP}}</ref>