Ancient Archery

This post isn't directly related to numismatics, but since the bow and arrow are featured on many ancient types, I thought you folks would be interested in this video.

This guy has studied and revived ancient archery techniques, and what he can do is astonishing, and almost unreal. Take a few minutes to watch it, and your perspective on what ancient archery might have been like will be completely overturned.

And to make it about coins, let's see your bows and arrows.

 

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Wow...

 

That is awesome!

 

hu...that was pretty darn interesting. thanks JA.

here's a hercules doing some archery...my ancient secret santa gift from christmas.

 

Neat video. Thanks for sharing it. He's great, but all of his targets are stationary, as well as contrived for exhibition to show off his acrobatics with archery. As a war-archer, he would be going against moving archers of equal or unknown advanced skill, and other weapons confronting them flung from a far, a volley of arrows and missiles incoming, mounted and shielded swordsmen, etc.

Videos like this are like skateboarding videos. They film endlessly until they capture on-video perfect scenes, then piece them together to make a full length story from it. I wonder how many other times his scenes had to be reshot because he fumbled the arrow, string or some action in performing these stunts.

I also liken this to folks who boast their skills at target shooting but are easily defeated by opponents in the field of battle, such as being unable to confront an enemy in a dense jungle when you can't see your enemy no matter how near or far they are attacking you from. Sure you can shoot x from y meters, but you're not walking out of the jungle that way.

American cars are often rated on their greatness for speed in a straight-away, drag or performance of 0-60mph, but are complete flops in balanced design for actual road racing where turning, torque and acceleration are all necessary the way many European equivalents are built for all of them.

This guy surely knows his stuff and has researched the techniques and learned it himself. To that I commend his efforts and knowledge. In Japan, they have never let their archery fall to the wayside and most all schools and communities have archery clubs and maintain this ancient tradition which relates to much more than simply war-archery.

 

Was it Commodus who designed an arrow to decapitate an ostrich as it was running in the arena? Nice man.

 

I would think that his splitting an arrow fired at him, with one of his own arrows, would qualify as hitting a moving target?

More on topic: I've always liked coins that show Diana the huntress. Interestingly, this coin shows her quiver on-the-back.



AUGUSTUS
AV Aureus (7.90 g.) Lugdunum circa 11 - 10 B.C. RIC 196
AVGVSTVS - DIVI-f Laureate head right. Rev. IMP - XII Diana, wearing polos and long drapery, advancing r., holding bow and taking arrow from quiver. In exergue, SICIL

 

My point was more towards, 'not in a real world scenario.' To be sure he's got a skill and works darned hard at it, but what does it do for him save for exhibition, and in such a contrived way as to capture only those perfect attempts with an aim now to impress. Just have to be careful of the powerful illusion such videos create. Not trying to downplay his surely advanced abilities with the device in hand.

 

Here's a quick handful of coins with bows, quivers, arrows, etc, Artemis, Diana ...

... sadly, my Running King's bow is off-flan (yah, I'm gonna need an upgrade, eh?)

 

Naturally if you're going to make a video, you're going to compile your best shots rather than your bloopers. The point is we've come to think of archery as something very static, whereas in the ancient world it was likely something very fluid, like swordsmanship: an intricate dance capable of meeting the demands of a dynamic melee.

The modern Japanese art looks highly ritualized and ceremonial. I'm not sure it bears any relationship to real warfare at all.

 

I happen not to think of archery as static. Certainly there are tournaments and archery clubs to enjoy it like a leisure activity shooting at targets. However, I think of it as out dated in terms of effective confrontational battle equipment and am not sure how true to form Lars' acrobatics would have been in the ancient field of battle. I think of archery in terms of warfare as made obsolete by other technological advancement.

And to my point, for the Japanese archers, Kyudo has transcended time, taken from a warrior past developed in an isolated ancient culture, while maintaining it's ritualistic and meditative aspect to a life philosophy. It functions with purpose beyond combat, isn't viewed as entertainment nor performed in an exhibitionist manner by it's adherents today, and could easily still be effective as a functional tool of offense or defense.

I think Lars has taken his archery, with influences collected throughout time, and made something unique that didn't exist before. He's very good at what he has achieved.

BTW, I'm enjoying the coins as much as the discussion.

 

THRACE, PANTIKAPAION AE18
OBVERSE: Head of Pan left
REVERSE: Bow and arrow
Struck at Pantikapaion 400-300BC
4.4g, 18mm
SNG BMC Black Sea 894


C HOSIDIUS CF GETA ROMAN REPUBLIC; GENS HOSIDIA AR Denarius
OBVERSE: GETA before, III VIR behind, diademed & draped bust of Diana right, bow and quiver on shoulder
REVERSE: C HOSIDI C F, wild boar of Calydon right, pierced by spear and attacked by dog
Struck at Rome 64 BC
3.6g, 17mm
Cr407/2; Hosidia 1


M. PLAETORIUS M.F. CESTIANUS ROMAN REPUBLIC; GENS PLAETORIA
AR Denarius
OBVERSE: Bust of an Vacuna right, wearing a wreathed and crested helmet, bow and quiver on shoulder, cornucopiae below chin
REVERSE: M PLAETORIVS M F AED CVR Eagle right, on
thunderbolt, head left
Rome 67 BC
3.7g, 18 mm
Cr409/1; Syd 809; Plaetoria 4


CN.PLANCIVS ROMAN REPUBLIC; GENS PLANCIA
AR Denarius
OBVERSE: CN.[PLANCIVS] AED.CVR.S.C. around Diana Planciana right, wearing petasus, earring, and necklace.
REVERSE: Cretan goat right; bow and quiver behind
Rome 55 BC
18mm, 3.6g
Cr 432/1


HIEROCAESAREIA SEMI-AUTONOMOUS CIVIC ISSUE
AE15
OBVERSE: PERCIKH; draped bust of Artemis Persica right, with bow and quiver
REVERSE: IEROKAICAREWN, flaming altar
Struck at Hierocaesaria 117-138AD
2.66g, 15mm
BMC 7

 

i noticed several back mounted quivers on the ancient coins.

just for kicks a googled "roman archer" "greek archer" and the like and looked for ancient art. seems like the quivers are not uncommonly depicted on the back. saw several at the waist however.

 

MACRINUS
AE 26
OBVERSE: ΑΥ Κ ΟΠΕΛ ΣΕΥ ΜΑΚΡΕΙΝΟΣ Κ Μ ΟΠΕΛ ΑΝΤΩΝΕΙΝΟΣ Κ, laureate head of Macrinus right facing bare headed head of Diadumenian left.
REVERSE: ΥΠ ΠΟΝΤΙΑΝΟΥ ΜΑΡΚΙΑΝΟΠΟΛΕΙΤΩ/Ν, Artemis, huntress, advancing r., reaching for an arrow in quiver at shoulder and in her l. hand holding a bow; below a hound. E to centre l
Struck at Markianopolis, Moesia Inferior, 217 - 218 AD
10.4g, 26mm
Moushmov 532


GALLIENUS
Antoninianus
OBVERSE: GALLIENVS AVG - Radiate head right.
REVERSE: APOLLINI CONS AVG, centaur walking right drawing bow. Z in ex.
Struck at Rome, 267-268 AD
2.6g, 19mm
RIC 163, RSC 72


TRANQUILLINA
AE23
OBVERSE: CAB TPANKVLLEINA CEB, diademed & draped bust right
REVERSE: ADRIANOPOLEITWN, Artemis running right, holding bow, drawing arrow from quiver behind shoulder, dog running at her feet
Struck at Hadrianopolis, 241-43 AD
6.1g, 23mm
Moushmov 2764

 

Bing! Nice examples! That boar is something else, fierce, yet defeated. And the eagle with arrows clutched, sort of reminds me of what the US copied.

 

C71. The reverse of this Roman coin of Claudius II shows goddess Diana holding a bow on her breast and shoulder, as well as a quiver of arrows on her back .

 

Trilingual AR Karashapana
Kshaharatas of Saurashtra
21 mm x 2.53 grams
Early Western Satraps.
There is also a school of thought that indicates that these coins are infact recoined RR and Julio-Claudian Denari that made it into India.

 

Phenomenal video. Splitting an arrow shot in your direction...amazing! Sadly, I don't think I have any ancient coins with archers, bows or arrows on them.

Another type to add to the want list.

 

Cool videos! I didn't realize modern archers place the arrow to the inside. I can't remember how we did it way back in camp days (Girl Scouts, Camp Fire Girls) but I think the arrow was placed on the far side of the bow.

A couple of coins fitting the theme:


Roman Republic, C. Postumius
74 BCE, Rome
AR denarius, 18.74 mm, 3.6 gm
Obv: bust of Diana right, bow and quiver over shoulder
Rev: hound running right, spear below; C. POSTVMI, TA in exergue
Ref: Crawford 394/1a


MOESIA INFERIOR, Marcianopolis
Macrinus, with Diadumenian (217-218)
AE27, 12.3 gm
Obv: AYT K M OΠEΛ CEV MAKPEINOC K M OΠE ANTΩNINOC.
Laureate head of Macrinus left and bare head of Diadumenian right, vis-à-vis.
Rev: VΠ ΠONTIANOV MAPKIANOΠOΛEITΩN.
Artemis advancing right, holding bow and drawing arrow from quiver; E to left.
Ref: Varbanov 1159 var. (obverse legend).

 

Nice video. Archery is pretty fun, I learned it for a little bit, was nowhere near as good as that guy though.