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Mongol Composite Bow Armament

Type Object Region Mongolian Plateau Time -500–1400

The Mongol composite bow (Uyghur/Scythian-style recurve) of laminated wood, horn, and sinew had long range and strong penetration for mounted archery…

Timeline

  1. 1161–1170Mongolian Plateau · Mongolian PlateauTribal craftsmen laminated bows of birch, ox horn, and animal sinew, with recurved limbs storing high energy; warriors trained from youth in the 'Mongol style' of shooting, delivering long-range volleys and close-range precision shots on horseback, a core skill of tribal warfare and hunting.
  2. 1206–1260Mongol Empire · Mongol EmpireAfter Genghis Khan unified the steppe, every cavalryman under the ten-, hundred-, thousand-, and ten-thousand-household units was issued a composite bow and multiple quivers; mounted archery and composite-bow armament spread with the western and southern campaigns to Central Asia, Western Asia, and Eastern Europe, becoming a symbol of Mongol military superiority.

Sources