• Bows and arrows were central to ancient warfare and huntingMen bow shooting. Amateur competition in the sanatorium image by Igor Zhorov from Fotolia.com
  
  Although in modern times archery has become a mere hobby, in ancient eras skills in both making and using the bow and arrow were crucial to the survival of any tribe or empire. Early developments in bows (as in other types of weapons and tools) may be grouped according to the type of material used. Different materials in turn, permitted bow makers to develop different styles of bow, which increased the range and power of the archer.
  
  

• Archaeologists have found bows dated from 9000 B.C. The earliest bows were made from wood. Ancient bowyers (bow makers) took easily bendable saplings and strung them with animal gut or plant fiber. Different sizes of bows developed for different situations. The long bow is best for situations in which the archer remains still. Mounted warriors found an advantage to using the short bow, which the rider can easily swing in different directions.
  
  

Composite Bows

• The basic wooden bow style became stronger and more flexible around 2800 B.C. when the Egyptians developed the composite bow. The addition of materials such as horn, bone, sinew and metal created bows which shot arrows with greater velocity, distance and accuracy. The development of the composite bow may also have led to the development of the recurve style of bow. The tips of this bow bend back in the direction of the arrow rather than following the draw of the bow towards the archer's body. The recurve design provides additional power.
  
  

Steel Bows

• In the India of the Mughal emperors, around 1550 A.D., bowyers moved from using metal as part of composite bows to developing steel bows. Steel bows use the recurve design developed with composite bows and have the added advantage that they store easily. The Indian bowyers appear to have had an appreciation for aesthetics in creating these bows. Ancient texts mention that the middle portion of the bow should resemble "the eyebrow of a lady" and that the steel weapon should have a gold inlay.