Persians bows were similar to the Turkish flight bows, but with wider and longer limbs and longer ears or siyahs. The horn facing consisted of several thin strips rather than one solid strip, and the grooving of horn and core was less prominent, less geometric. Otherwise, not much descriptive difference could be noted between the two types. It has been said that the Persian bow was more efficient, but that seems doubtful and has not been substantiated by actual testing.
The bows of India were also closely related to the Turkish, but the general construction was even less precise. The most common type had an extreme
Fully armed mounted archer, Persian or Indo-Persian. Note shape of bow tip between quiver and horse's back. From lithograph by Carle Vernet (1758-1835).
Old bow showing Persian-type “angle" rounded, not as angular as Crab bow. Covered with rawhide and decorated. Poems written on each limb.
Old bow from India, shape at rest. One tip broken off. Such configuration gives the name "Crab" bow. 51" long, 1 3/4" wide limb.
Similar intact bow braced.
Angle at the knee or base of the siyah and was descriptively referred to as a "crab bow." One form of sinew-backed wood bow from Northern India had the general shape and cross-section of an English longbow only reversed, with the flat side of the "D" on the face or belly. A thin layer of sinew covered the back with the whole bow being beautifully and completely decorated. These bows may be from Kashmir where some of the most intricate and beautifully decorated arrows were made.
MONGOLIA AND CHINA
The composite bows of Mongolia and China, though basically of similar construction to the preceding types, were much longer, about five and a half feet, with heavy, cumbersome ten inch long siyahs. They were made to cast heavy arrows, not the light cane arrows of Asia or India. The horn or bamboo cores were not grooved, merely roughened. Most bows were backed with sinew, but one type was backed with hemp fibers, the backings usually finished with a covering of birch bark cut into oblique strips. The prominent ridges or shoulders measured about two inches wide and an inch high. Of note are the special warming cabinets the Chinese employed for allowing return of reflex and recurve lost during use.
No
Chinese archer "war lord." From painting on silk mat, 17th century (author's collection).
The "Big Nock" bow. (The Collection of Books of Archery, first published in Chinese in 1637, translated into Japanese in 1789 by Saria Ogyu).
Tartar bow, Northern China. Very heavy bow, 4 1/2 pounds physical weight; 90 pounds at 20" draw. Full draw 34-36". Estimated full draw weight over 150 pounds.
Tartar bow braced by heating and flexing over forms (Teplik). Multiple strand rawhide string 3/8" in diameter. Used only to build and demonstrate strength.
The older Chinese bows had shorter ears but retained the reflex and recurves of the Asiatic bows. Some idea of their construction and other details of archery techniques is gathered from old books such as the two volume work The Collection of Books of Archery, first printed in China in 1637, and later translated into Japanese and annotated in 1789 by Saria Ogyu. The Japanese version has recently been partially translated into English.
These two volumes indicate that several types of bows were made. Some were self wood, some were wood backed with birch as practiced by Siberian natives up until modem times. Some comments indicate that the horn facing was of two pieces meeting at the center of the bow. Backing was usually sinew although hemp fiber was also employed. The diagrams illustrate some of the different types.
Energy storage curve of Chinese bow, dearly showing point at 18” where string lifts from bridges.
Chinese target bow, 70" long, 1 314" wide, siyahs 11" long. Note long loops tied into single cotton string. Beautiful decoration on birch bark over sinew-backing.
Chinese bow, X-ray at grip, side view showing sinew over riser (top). Glue line between riser and bamboo core is dense, indicating added metallic substance (lead?). Butt splice in bamboo core faintly visible.
X-ray at grip, frontal view. Central white slash is a piece of ivory. On either side of ivory is short sections of horn, used to fill the gap when main belly strips of horn were too short. Dark lines are air gaps.
Chinese hinged bow with siyahs cut short, no bridges, rawhide string (see also Take-down Bows, Vol. 3).
Chinese bow braced.
Heavy and cumbersome in appearance, the arrows had fletching up to fourteen inches long and an inch high. These contrasted to the Persian or Indian fletching, which measured as small as three inches long and an eighth inch high — or were even absent completely.
Mongolian bows were more commonly covered on the back by snake skin and had bridges up to four inches wide. The arrows were also about three feet long. And though this type of bow was fairly stable, the long bridges prevented the bow from unstringing in hand if a twist developed in the limb.
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