Archery Equipment Research Articles

Against the strain – a diachronic perspective on prehistoric European and Near Eastern protective/symbolic archery equipment

Abstract This contribution reviews selected bone and stone plaques with double or multiple opposite perforations from Pre-Pottery Neolithic Near Eastern contexts in the light of them having possibly served as symbolic or protective archery equipment. The presence of perforated plaques from Later Neolithic Europe is a well-attested phenomenon in funeral contexts and is commonly labelled as bracers or wrist-guards. With their actual practical purpose of efficiently preventing the forearm from the slashing of a bowstring being probably of subordinate importance, there seems to be a consensus that they were, if not protective, then symbolic adornments in connection with hunting as being not only a profane, food-acquiring routine but simultaneously a ritually loaded, status-enhancing endeavor. The same is assumed for specific “plaques” from much earlier post-Pleistocene contexts in Upper Mesopotamia, which might have served an identical purpose in the frame of cultural synchronisms.

Dětský lukostřelec a jeho „hračky“ z pohřebiště kultury zvoncovitých pohárů v Popůvkách

In Central Europe, the Bell Beaker phenomenon is inextricably linked to finds of archery tools equipment and with the first abundant occurrence of copper artefacts. Archery attributes and copper artefacts (mainly daggers and ornaments) are found in the wide area of Bell Beaker distribution, which enables a wide range of researchers to share and connect knowledge about these finds. These artefacts are mostly found in the graves of adult males (exceptionally females) and are referred to as symbols of belonging to archerwarriors, i.e. a group with special and significant status. Sometimes these artefacts also appear in children’s graves. However, children especially very young ones) could not perform the full role of archers and/or warriors, so we interpret the presence of archery equipment and daggers as a symbol of unspecified inheritance. One such child’s grave was also discovered during the recent excavation of the Bell Beaker burial ground in Popůvky near Brno, Czech Republic. In the presented paper, this grave is presented in connection with the hitherto rather neglected issue of the position of children at the end of the Moravian Eneolithic period. Also, potential relations with other deceased individuals at Popůvky cemetery will be discussed.

The eco-munitionary subject: Conservation with and of firearms

The Pittman-Robertson Act of 1937 was a transformative piece of legislation for wildlife management and conservation in the United States, incentivizing the creation of state wildlife agencies and establishing funding mechanisms for these agencies. The legislation directs an excise tax on firearms, ammunition, and archery equipment to a fund to support wildlife restoration projects by state wildlife agencies. In 2021 alone, this generated more than $1 billion in project funds. Although commonly framed as a user pays model of conservation whereby hunters fund wildlife management, most of the excise taxes collected on firearms and ammunition are now associated with non-hunting uses. Despite this disconnect, many firearms industry groups continue to support and promote their relationship to Pittman-Robertson. Here, we examine the role of Pittman-Robertson in shaping the relationship between firearms and conservation and seek to understand how this relationship is reproduced. We examine this shifting relationship through an analysis of amendments to Pittman-Robertson since its creation and a discourse analysis of contemporary materials from web sites of firearms, hunting, shooting, and conservation organizations. Drawing on the concept of environmentality and diverse ecologies, we argue that Pittman-Robertson has contributed to the production of, and been re-shaped by, a distinct environmental actor: the eco-munitionary subject.

Archers from Rag-i Bibi. Notes on the equipment depicted on Rag-i Bibi relief (Northern Afghanistan)

The rock relief discovered in Rag-e Bibi in Northern Afghanistan in 2002 remains an archaeological sensation. The archery equipment depicted there has not yet been studied. The article describes the bow cases combined with quivers and associates them with the same type of kit popular in Eurasia related with spread of the recurved bows with stiff bone or horn extensions of Xiong Nu/Hunnictype. This type of bows replaced shorter 'Scythian' type of bows in 1st-2nd century CE. The integrated bow case and quiver went out of use soon before the rise of the Sasanians therefore Rag-e Bibi cannot be linked with this dynastic art, based also on the depicted elements of material culture, as well as on stylistic grounds.

Digital marketing communication for archery sports equipment on Instagram @vienetharcheryofficial

The sports equipment business is one of the businesses that is currently starting to develop. Supported by the desire of the community to engage in sports, one of which is archery, Vieneth Archery Official, one of the archery equipment shops, takes advantage of this situation. The purpose of this study was to digitally determine the marketing communication of archery sports equipment on Instagram @vienetharcheryofficial. The method used in this research is Krippendorff content analysis which is carried out by collecting data on the Instagram account @vienetharcheryofficial from 1 May 2022 to 30 May 2022. The conclusion of this study shows that Vieneth Archery, as an archery equipment shop, carries out digital marketing communications through @vienetharcheryofficial Instagram posts dominated by public relations and publicity efforts.

SOSIALISASI OLAHRAGA PANAHAN KEPADA MASYARAKAT RT 006 RW 001 DI KAMPUNG TANJAKAN DESA TANJAKAN DI ERA PANDEMI

The spread of cases of the Covid-19 virus, both in the world and in Indonesia in particular. Efforts that must be continued are by consuming nutritious food, complying with health protocols, vaccinating and maintaining body immunity through exercise. One of them is archery. Archery can help strengthen the immune system or body immunity. To prevent infection with the Covid-19 virus. In addition, archery can help get out of boredom due to the pandemic which has not yet ended. The problem is that in this activity, people do not know and lack understanding about the sport of archery. Therefore, this socialization activity aims to increase knowledge and understanding of the sport of archery. This socialization will be held from March 1, 2022 to March 11, 2022 at RT 006 RW 001 in Tanjakan Village, Tanjakan Village. The target of this outreach activity is to the Community of RT 006 RW 001 in Tanjakan Village. The method of implementation is through direct introduction to archery equipment, conducting webinars that discuss the brief history of archery, various types of archery bows, equipment in archery, basic archery techniques, and direct practice of basic archery techniques by modifying archery bows. using a palaron in which bamboo has been inserted in the palaron so that the results of maximum whipping and direct practice still follow the health protocols in the era of the Covid-19 pandemic. As a result of this socialization, the community in RT 006 RW 001 in Tanjakan Village is more familiar with the history of archery, basic archery techniques, equipment used when archery, and the community is very enthusiastic and enthusiastic in participating in this outreach activity.

Violent Entanglements

Environmental politics in the United States have become inseparable from the politics of guns. The Pittman-Robertson Act of 1937 transformed conservation policy and funding in the United States, establishing the Federal Aid to Wildlife Restoration Account, which generates public revenue for conservation through a tax on firearms, ammunition, and archery equipment. As the manufacture and purchase of firearms and ammunition have increased rapidly in recent years, the funds flowing to conservation have also grown. Despite allotting more than USD750 million to states in 2020 alone, the Pittman-Robertson Act has been overlooked in discussions of the political economy of conservation. Here, we compare the four largest sources of revenue for state wildlife and conservation agencies and demonstrate the growing importance of Pittman-Robertson as gun sales increase. We argue that the position of firearms in conservation has shifted, disrupting widely held ideals of conservation and undermining the ‘user pays’ model that is argued to undergird conservation activities in the United States. We explore the ethical concerns produced by this emerging relationship and the ways Pittman-Robertson entangles conservation with guns and violence.

Stakeholder Support for Wildlife Conservation Funding Policies

State wildlife management agencies in the United States have depended on a “user-pay” funding model for conservation efforts that relies on revenue from hunting license sales and a federal excise tax on firearms, ammunition, and archery equipment. Declines in hunting participation, however, jeopardize sustainability of the current funding model. Ensuring support among stakeholders for wildlife management and conservation may require expanding sources of funding and incorporating the perspectives and values of a diversifying constituency into decision making processes. We used a web-based survey of wildlife-associated recreationists in Michigan, USA to evaluate support for a range of conservation funding policies. Respondents self-identified primarily as hunters (n= 2,558) or wildlife watchers (n= 942). We used binary logistic regression to evaluate support for four conservation funding policy options: state sales tax, lottery proceeds, extractive industry revenue, and a user-based tax on outdoor gear (i.e., “backpack tax”). Determinants of support varied by type of policy and stakeholder characteristics. We found no statistically significant differences between hunters and wildlife watchers in their support for conservation funding policies when accounting for other variables such as wildlife value orientations, engagement in stewardship behaviors, age, and gender. The industry-based policy achieved the greatest level of approval, while the backpack tax had the lowest. Respondents were mixed in their support of the sales tax and lottery proceeds options. Cluster analysis revealed three homogenous groups related to conservation funding policies: “strong support,” “mixed/opposed,” and “anti-backpack tax.” Clusters differed in their support for conservation funding policies and on psychological and demographic variables. The “strong support” and “anti-backpack tax” groups differed in their levels of stewardship engagement, knowledge of conservation funding mechanisms, and support for the backpack tax option. The “mixed-opposed” group tended to be older, less educated, and less likely to be a member of a conservation organization. Results suggest support for conservation funding differs by policy type and social and psychological characteristics of stakeholders. Based on differences in policy support revealed in this study, we suggest a multi-tiered approach to funding conservation and building on support among wildlife stakeholders to mitigate the looming funding crisis for state wildlife agencies.

Using group sizes to optimise archery equipment

One method used by archers and coaches to optimise archery equipment is to measure the size of arrow groups on the target prior to and following an adjustment. The group sizes are then used to determine if an equipment change assisted or detracted from the archer’s performance. A model based on a Monte Carlo method and group size measurements from seven elite archers were used to test the validity of this process. The results showed that this method was neither an effective method nor useful process because the probability of false positives or false negatives was too great. A better approach to optimise archery equipment is to monitor the archer’s skill level or average score over an extended time following any change.

The Equipment of the Tyrolean Iceman: Innovation versus Adaptation in the Cultural Evolution of Prehistoric Technologies.

This study argues that the equipment of the Tyrolean Iceman offers a unique perspective for understanding the macroevolutionary-scale functional continuity between later Pleistocene and Holocene human technologies. The Iceman was discovered in 1991 in the Ötztal Alps and can be dated to around 3300 BC, corresponding to the North Italian early Copper Age. In his gear there are several technologies which are rarely found at prehistoric archaeological sites, including archery equipment, a complete set of clothing, and a personal tool kit. Our paper will discuss this technological assemblage within the framework of cultural evolutionary theories (subsequently abbreviated as CET). According to the concept of cumulative culture, tools and technologies may become the subject of cultural "descent with modification" which leads to the emergence of complex technological innovations. In conventional narratives, the Neolithic represents the single greatest macroevolutionary transition in human cultural evolution, accompanied by a whole set of novel innovations and encompassing the transition to agriculture. However, as we highlight, the Iceman's equipment includes several technologies with a pre-Neolithic cultural origin. Earlier variants of these technologies were used by cultural groups belonging to the Mesolithic and even the Upper and Middle Paleolithic. Our main goal will be to present an explanatory framework for this macroevolutionary-scale technological continuity. In order to achieve this goal, we explore the heuristic value of two basic concepts of cultural evolutionary explanations-namely, the concepts of innovation and adaptation. Building on this background, we present an overview of the data currently available on the evolutionary history of each technological adaptation found in the equipment of the Iceman. Our results suggest that these technologies were not primarily cultural innovations, but simultaneously they were "obligatory" functional adaptations with a deep evolutionary history.

The precarious position of wildlife conservation funding in the United States

ABSTRACT The Pittman-Robertson Act was established in 1937 to fund state-based wildlife conservation through an existing excise tax on sporting arms and ammunition. Because these items were purchased mostly by hunters at the time, they were the user group primarily funding wildlife conservation. Subsequent amendments to Pittman-Robertson expanded the taxable items to include pistols, revolvers, and archery equipment, effectively broadening the pool of conservation funding contributors to include non-hunters. The continuing trends of declining hunting participation, increasing handgun sales for non-hunting purposes, and increasing sport shooting and target archery independent of hunting, mean that non-hunters are contributing a disproportionately greater amount to Pittman-Robertson funding than hunters, and therefore contributing more to wildlife conservation. The evolving sources of revenue to Pittman-Robertson pose several threats to this historically important source of conservation funding. Addressing them may require new funding coalitions and outreach describing the conservation benefits and outcomes of Pittman-Robertson funding.

Notes on the Combat Scene on Tang-e Sarvak III rock relief

The article examines the Parthian rock relief Tang-e Sarvak III from two perspectives: as a source of information on the military equipment, and as representation of the victorious mounted combat genre in ancient Iranian art. As a result of this analysis of the military equipment a picture emerges of a the warrior dressed in a metallic cuirass with central opening, a scale gorget of the old, Achaemenid style, segmented sleeves and lamellar trousers or leggings. His horse is barded in a lamellar caparison, with a longer apron in front which covers mount’s chest and partially his legs. The warrior has the archery equipment typical for the late Parthian period, which strongly differs from early Parthian and Sasanian archery equipment. In the course of an analysis of the form of the composition, several possibilities of reconstruction of the missing part of the relief have been proposed. At the same time, the possibility of a large battle scene with a multitude of participants has been excluded as not matching the visual language of the era

БРОНЗОВЫЙ ЩИТОК ИЗ ПОГРЕБЕНИЯ СРЕДНЕВЕКОВОГО ЛУЧНИКА В КУЗНЕЦКОЙ КОТЛОВИНЕ

A number of works written by leading Siberian weapons experts are devoted to the classification of this piece of personal armour. Issues of weapons development played a significant role in the lives of the medieval people in the South of Western Siberia. One of the most frequently encountered categories of inventory in the burials of nomads includes ranged weapons: parts of bows, arrows, quivers. Yu.S. Khudyakova [1980, p. 118] and VV. Gorbunova [2006, p. 35-62]. However, bow sets are not limited to bows, arrows and quivers. There are also other parts of archery equipment known from the nomadic antiquities of the Volga region, such as archers’ rings and pavises [Rudenko, 2005, p. 27-35], items that have never been found in the South of Western Siberia until recently. During his exploration of burial ground 3 from mound 3 of Konevo, A.M. Ilyushin [2012, p. 37] found a bronze plate, which he believed belonged to plate armour. However, further study of the objects found in burial ground 3 of mound 3 of Konevo, raised doubts whether this attribution of the excavated bronze plate is justified. Acquaintance with the materials of burial 3 of mound 3 of the Konevo burial ground, raised doubts about such an attribution of the revealed bronze plate. Keywords: medieval nomads, archeology, bow, arrows, protective shield, pavise, gastagna, archer, Kuznetsk Depression

Scythian Leather Quiver from Bulgakovo

Abstract What were items of Scythian archer’s equipment? What materials were used, and how were they produced? These issues remain currently practically unknown. Objects made from organic materials (wood, leather, and textile) in Scythian burials are lost or provide little information. For this reason almost nothing about Scythian archery equipment (bow and quiver) has been known for a long time. This article describes and analyzes the only well preserved quiver found in the Scythian burial of the 4th century BC in the North Pontic Region. The details of a leather quiver bag, a wooden stiffening plate, wooden painted arrows with bronze arrowheads have survived.

Depictions of archery in Sassanian silver plates and their relationship to warfare

This article provides an examination of archery techniques, such as drawing techniques of the bowstring, the method of grasping the bow grip and placing the arrow, and their relationship to warfare as depicted on 22 Sassanian and early post-Sassanian silver plates. These plates provide useful information on Sassanian archery equipment and techniques. These plates can be categorized into the following categories: (a) foot archery, (b) horse archery, c) dromedary archery and (d) elephant archery. All plates examined in this study depicting these categories are in a hunting milieu. The largest proportion of plates pertain to horse archery which in turn can be classified into four combat subsets: forward-facing horse archery, the backward-firing Parthian shot, horse archery with stirrups, and horse archery while appearing to ride backwards.

Archery by the Apaches – implications of using the bow and arrow in hunter-gatherer communities

This review focuses on the technical and social details of production, training, and use of archery equipment by a Native American tribe, the Apaches. The study aims to understand the use of the bow in the Mesolithic and Early and Middle Neolithic societies of the Old World. The paper further describes arrow ballistics. An arrow and bow with similar dimensions and materials to those used by the Apaches was reconstructed and used in ballistic experiments. Shooting and the subsequent model calculation showed that the effective range of arrows made of reed and projected by a bow of medium strength (16–18kg) was not more than approx. 20m. Due to the initial flat part of the ballistic trajectory, such arrows were quite efficient in close-range contests. Within the model calculation, a regression procedure was introduced to determine the arrow air-drag parameters from an ensemble of shots.

Shooting for Assurance: The Case of Blazing Arrow Speed

ABSTRACTDesigned to be used in an undergraduate audit and assurance course, this case introduces students to the concept of assurance. Students are asked to consider an engagement in which they would provide a written statement about the performance of an archery equipment manufacturer's products. The case encourages students to consider a variety of engagements that a public accountant may provide a client, and to achieve specific learning outcomes including increased familiarity with attestation standards, engagement criteria, objectivity, and professional skepticism. The analysis may be completed in a single class, and can be useful either at the start of the course to provide an introduction to attestation or at the end of the course to differentiate attestation engagements from traditional financial statement audits.

『御射古風帖』(1791─1792) にみる18世紀末の朝鮮弓術：弓術種目と弓具に着目して

『御射古風帖』(1791─1792) にみる18世紀末の朝鮮弓術：弓術種目と弓具に着目して

Traditional archery from six continents: the Charles E. Grayson Collection

As a major hunting tool and weapon, the changed human history around the world, and its diverse forms reflect the cultures that adopted it. Those variations can be seen in the Charles E. Grayson Archery Collection housed at the University of Missouri - Columbia Museum of Anthropology, one of the largest and most comprehensive assemblages of archery-related materials in the world. This handsome book drawn from that collection offers a unique look at archery as it has been practiced through the ages. Drawing on a collection of more than five thousand bows, arrows, and associated paraphernalia, Traditional Archery from Six Continents presents color photographs and descriptions of some three hundred items - including quivers, thumb rings, and more - that represent traditional archery practices and customs from around the world. From the Chinese monkey bow to the English longbow, the artifacts are organized by region, taking in equipment from Asia, the Middle East, Africa, the Americas, and Europe used over the past five hundred years. The book's introduction provides an overview of traditional archery and its nomenclature, and chapter essays situate the items in their historical, cultural, and technological contexts. Plate descriptions note materials, construction methods, dimensions, and temporal and cultural affiliations. The sharp, detailed photographs will enable users to identify the geographic or cultural origins of the pieces by visual comparison. Additional illustrations show how archery equipment has been used in various settings such as hunting, warfare, and sport. These superb representations from a masterful collection constitute a complete introduction to worldwide archery and mark the first wide-ranging survey of European and non-European archery equipment ever available. Traditional Archery from Six Continents will be the standard reference work in the study of archery, indispensable for students of material culture or general readers interested in the history of this timeless art.

Bracers or Bracelets? About the Functionality and Meaning of Bell Beaker Wrist-guards

The Bell Beaker bracers, or wrist-guards, are traditionally thought to have functioned as archery equipment, protecting the arm against the sting of the bowstring. Their position on the body is therefore thought to have been on the inside of the lower arm. Through analysis of the position in which wrist-guards are found, we have come to the conclusion that they were, however, more often than not fastened to the outside of the arm, which leads us to consider a range of new possible uses and meanings for the bracers. With combined information from archaeological and ethnographic surveys we have come to think of the stone wrist-guard as an artefact that was associated with a martial, ideologically-laden activity in the Bell Beaker culture.