A Brief History Of Archery

Although archery dates back 1000’s of years, the earliest people known to have used bows and arrows were the Kushite’s. One of the first hunters was Nimrod was one of the sons of Kush. Kush was the son of Ham, the son of Noah. The bow and arrow was used in warfare and it is known that the Egyptians, Hittites, Persians, Greeks and Romans all used these as weapons in their armies.In China, archery dates back to the Shang dynasty 1600BCE. Archery seems to have arrived in Americas via Alaska, as early as 3000 BCE, spreading south into the temperate zones as early as 2,000 BCE, and was widely known among the indigenous peoples of North America from about 800 BCE. An archery game was widely practiced among the indigenous people, which involved shooting at a hoop rolled with sticks. Points were scored based on how the arrow landed.You need to find Prince Albert archery to learn this sport under guidance from proper instructors.

Decline of Archery

With the advent of firearms this rendered bows obsolete in warfare. Despite the high social status, ongoing utility, and widespread enjoyment of archery, almost every culture that gained access to even early firearms used them widely, to the neglect of archery. Although early firearms were inferior in rate-of-fire and were very susceptible to wet weather, they had a longer effective range (up to 200 yards for the longbow, up to 600 yards for the musket) greater penetration and were tactically superior in the common situation of battle. The last regular unit armed with bows was the Archery Company of the Honourable Artillery Company. The last recorded use of bows in battle was in Britain at Bridgnorth; in October 1642, during the English Civil War, an impromptu militia, armed with bows, was effective against musket men.

Today at Oudshoorn archery we teach the skill that is archery.