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3200 BCE
The First Bow
The fist bow was created by the Egyptians around the year 3200 B.C. The bow was made from wood and animal horn, and the bow string was made from sheep guts. The bows could fire up to around 400 yards. Link to page of informational stuff -
3000 BCE
The Beginning
The ancient Egyptians begin to regularly use bows and arrows for hunting and war, which led to archery being a common practice.Link text -
Period: 1766 BCE to 1027 BCE
Warfare Archery Chariot In China
In China, the earliest evidence of archery dates back to this period, the Shang dynasty. For warfare, the war chariots of this time consisted of three men, a driver, a lancer, and an archer. This set the standard for war chariots in China. Click me -
Period: 1027 BCE to 256 BCE
Archery as Entertainment
During this time period, the Zhou dynasty, nobles attended archery tournaments for entertainment, which also had music. This was the first time where archery was viewed as entertainment. Link text -
Period: 501 to 600
Kyudo is Born
During this time period, the sixth century, China introduced archery to Japan, and a new martial art formed around it, called kyudo. Kyudo strongly influenced Japanese art and culture. Kyudo is still practiced today, although Kyudo is commonly practiced for physical, moral, and spiritual development rather than sport or entertainment. Link text -
850
Gunpowder is Invented
When gunpowder was invented in 850, bows fell largely out of use and were replaced by guns. Archery then became more of a sport than an art of war. I AM A LINK -
1300
The English Longbow
During the 1300s, the English Longbow became a major player in warfare. It was invented in Wales by the Celts in 1180, but it wasn't used until the 1300s. This bow was used in the Middle Ages and was a major player in wars such as Agincourt and Crécy. The bow is commonly made from yew that was hardened and cured for 4 years and the bow was around 6 feet tall and 5/8ths of an inch wide. This is a link -
Archery Competition in Finsbury
In 1853 the first known archery competition that can be related to modern times was held in Finsbury, England and had 3.000 participants. I wonder what this is?Could it be a link? -
The Royal Toxophilite Society
The Royal Toxophilite Society was formed to advance the sport of archery. When the Prince of Wales became the leader of this society, he set the shooting lengths of 100 yards, 80 yards, and 60 yards, which are still used today in many archery competitions. Link -
Archery makes it into the Olympics
Archery is first in the Olympics in the year 1900, and was then in the 1904 and 1908. After the 1920 games archery was removed from the Olympics until it was added back in 1972. Archery has been a part of the games ever since. This greatly increased the competition and the popularity of archery. Link
