An Archaeological Experiment to Reconstruct a Compound Bow of the Sintashta Culture Stepnoe Burial Ground

The article presents data from an international experimental study on the reconstruction of the Sintashta culture compound bow. The project is carried out by a collective of researchers from Russia and Greece as part of the grant program of the international association of experimental archeology EXARC. The high role of long-range weapons in the life of the Sintashta society has been repeatedly noted by researchers. The production processes that directly affect the practice of using weapons, as well as the issues of the evolution of weapons, are poorly understood. A complex of horn parts from barrow 4, pit 13 of Stepnoe burial ground (Chelyabinsk region) was chosen as the object for the reconstruction of the Sintashta bow as the most constructively interesting examples. For a reliable interpretation of this category of artifacts, the authors reviewed the global context of the design features of finds of the Bronze Age bows. Analysis of the materials revealed evolutionary trends in the development of long-range weapons, as well as localizing various traditions. Based on experimental studies, the project participants obtained the first conclusions about possible design solutions and the practice of using ancient weapons. Full-scale modeling allowed us to conclude that the Sintashta bow was a hybrid type of long bow, compound type. This type of bow is unique and may reflect the combination of the “steppe” and “european” traditions of the manufacture of long-range weapons. The article is intended to show the main types of bow construction of the Bronze Age and to determine the place of the Sintashta materials in this context, as well as to present the variants of experimental solutions for bow modeling.

Optimum Design of an Archery Twin Round-Wheel Compound Bow

In this article, an optimization of a twin round-wheel compound bow is presented. Based on a previously published mathematical model of the kineto-elastic system, an objective function is introduced to maximize the stored potential energy in the compound bow limbs. The optimized design of the compound bow shows an increase in the potential energy stored for the same drawn distance. However, a slightly higher force is required and the initial position of string is slightly closer to the riser. Two different optimality criteria are also discussed.

Cave burial of Urd Ulaan Uneet (Mongolian Altai): рotential of cultural-chronological interpretation

The article considers the materials of the Urd Ulaan Uneet cave burial, investigated in 2015. This complex is located in the Tsagaanbulag Myangad Somon of Kobdo Aimak of Mongolia, at the altitude of 1327 m a.s.l. Pre-sented is the description of the circumstances of discovery of this important site, as well as the existing experi-ence of studying and publishing of the materials. The main objective of the study is the detailed analysis of the main categories of finds from the cave burial, the most informative of which include wooden saddle, iron bits with horn psalia, compound bow, arrowheads, leather quiver with iron hook, and wooden vessel. For the interpretation of these items, extensive archaeological sources of the Syanby-Rouran and medieval time, assembled during the excavations in various parts of the Central Asian region, were involved. Based on the results obtained, a number of conclusions have been made regarding the cultural and chronological interpretation of the site. It has been established that the Urd Ulaan Uneet complex is one of the rare objects of the Rouran time in Mongolia, and the only known cave burial of this chronological period. The monument can be confidently dated to the middle of the 4th –5th c. AD with the possible extension of the upper chronological boundary to the beginning of the 6th c. AD. This conclusion is generally supported by the results of radiocarbon analysis presented in the publications of Mongolian archaeologists. An indicative characteristic of the cave site, not revealed during the excavations of other objects of the Rouran period in Mongolia, is the accompanying burial of a horse. Obviously, this feature of the funeral rite is explained by contacts with the population of the Bulan-Koby Culture. The weighty argument in favor of the proposed possible interactions between the Altai cattle breeders and nomads of Western Mongolia in the Rouran period could be found among the investigated burials of the Bulan-Koby Culture in the Bayan-Ulgiy Aimag. The material complex found during the excavation of the Urd Ulaan Uneet cave burial reflects the very wide contacts of the population of Mongolia in various directions (Altai-Sayan Region, Trans-Baikal Region, Man-churia, East Turkestan, Central Asia) in the middle of the 1st mil. AD. In addition, the «western» relations are clearly distinguishable; these obviously demonstrate the complex migration processes of the Great Migration Period.

Archery Bow Design Equation

Bow and arrow is one of the ancient combat tool used for defense, hunting and in recent times, used in sports. There have been several improvements in archery since then. Bows, as we know today are made from several components, materials and are available in different shapes and designs. There have been several variations in the bow design, broadly categorized under traditional bow or long bow, recurve bow, cross bow and compound bow. They may look very different and may have different efficiency but their underlying principle of operations have not changed much in past decades. There have been several studies and patents filed for new designs of the bows to improve the efficiency and several accessories have also been introduced to improve targeting, stability, and power. In this study using laws of physics, a design equation has been established which can be used as basis for deriving various aspects of the bow design and can be used for creating new bow designs with added efficiency. The bow design equation in this study is named as ‘RV bow design equation’ which is split into three parts to cover the aspect of arrow mass, energy stored in the bow, and energy transferred to arrow to give designers holistic view of the bow design and ability to monitor several parameters independently and in conjunction to each other. This equation will facilitate designers to make informed decisions about several aspects of the bow and they can use this equation to maximize the energy or velocity output of the arrow with a given design and material used for construction.

The dynamic behaviour of an arrow in wind

Target archery competitions are conducted outdoors, exposed to the prevailing weather conditions. Competition takes place over long target distances and wind drift of the arrows is a significant cause of score loss. In this article, the dynamic behaviour of an arrow in free flight and wind drift are modelled, allowing for both the arrow initially aligning itself with the resultant airflow and the arrow flexing. The arrow has been modelled as an inextensible flexible beam, and the resulting partial differential equations solved using a finite difference method. Lift and drag for the various arrow components have been calculated using the local angle of attack for those components. It is shown that archers should use small diameter arrow shafts with a high density in order to minimise wind drift. Even for the best arrows, the drift for a 3-m/s side wind is greater than four score rings for a recurve bow at a target distance of 70 m with a 1220-mm diameter target face and nearly two score rings for a compound bow at a target distance of 50 m with an 800-mm diameter target face.

Effect of arrow shaft straightness on arrow grouping

Arrows are available in various straightness grades. Their grouping ability as the straightness varied was assessed using a compound bow and shooting machine. The research showed that archers would benefit from selecting arrows with the highest straightness grades (as might be expected). In addition, nock selection was determined to significantly impact group size. The fletches needed to be set at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the arrow shaft in order to have the arrows spin while in free flight, as that further reduced the group size.