The Sassanian ( Sassanid , Saasaani ) draw

Zarasp,
I based this tab on the silver plates. It is for the two middle fingers and has the straps crossing over on the back of the hand. I made it with a tab, but you could also make it with two fingers in leather and even put little thimbles on the end to protect the finger tips.

My experience with this type of tab is that it allows you to easily take of the reins of your horse or hold a sword without taking it off. You can shoot with it on either side of the bow. If you shoot on the right hand side of the bow, you need to steady the arrow with the right index finger (please reverse this for left handed archers). It is easier for regular thumb ring archers to aim when the arrow is on the right side of the bow because they are used to it. Likewise, a three fingered archer will be comfortable shooting on the left side. This draw does not prejudice one type of shooting over the other.

To make it I folded a piece of leather in the middle and sewed it so that a channel was left for the strap. The strap was a strip of deer skin with a buckle at one end. I threaded through a metal concho, then through the tab and then back through the concho. The strap is buckled on the inside of the wrist. It needs no other fittings to stay in place and does not fall off. The tab can be folded into the palm of the hand when not shooting.

Because the tendons controlling the two middle fingers are used to working together, I feel that the release is smoother than a three fingered release or a two fingered release using the index and middle fingers.

Even the Taq-i Bustan reliefs show the index finger extended in this draw. The little finger is curled up and this is a problem I had with heavy bows. Holding the little finger out straight was the most difficult part of this draw.

I made this guard and used it today, i used a leather nose band from horse tack and a square leather piece,

this great little piece saves your skin and does not move on fast horse moves, the best part is that using it with draw of 2 middle fingers not only does not get in the way but makes the release smoother.

i suggest it to anyone who uses left side draw on horse!

Thanks Bede.

Here are some Pictures of Belt Tirkash method i know, please note the 2 variations & movement of the fingers while drawing.

advice is appreciated.

.....

And here is the form i was taught to use with back Tirkash.

Very interesting thanks for the post.

Interesting technique.
Do you place the arrow to the left or right of the grip ?

ULI.Always left side, with index finger extended, the index finger even holds the arrow when it falls from above, in back quiver method.

& i forgot to mention: maybe this is not the Sassanid method of drawing, this is what my grandfather taught me, i just put it here for comparison because i recently found out that it really looks like the Sassanid plates.
I would also like to hear the thoughts of experienced archers on this technique.


& Tirkash=Quiver, the second method is used only when the arrow is drawn from the back, 1st on from belt.

jbl wrote:

Very interesting thanks for the post.

you are welcome, please let me know your experience if you try them.

Zarasp,
From my point of view second draw technique you use is almost same as from the scene of Peroz-Firuz in hunting from the Sassanide plate if it is not exactly this technique. After you started discussion and after Bede and you showed these techniques i think i will make it prevalent in my shooting.Will try.
Greetings

Following on from what Zarasp wrote, this is not the pure Sasanian technique. In that technique the two fingers would be below the arrow which gives a faster release. However, it is very interesting that his grandfather used this technique.

Zarasp,
Where did your grandfather come from and where were his ancestors from? Since a tirkash is usually a belt quiver in Iran (from the Sasanians to the Qajars), it might be that your family has preserved a rare technique that has died out elsewhere. I am aware that tirkash means quiver in general, but you see where I am leading.

Bede wrote:

Following on from what Zarasp wrote, this is not the pure Sasanian technique. In that technique the two fingers would be below the arrow which gives a faster release. However, it is very interesting that his grandfather used this technique.

Zarasp,
Where did your grandfather come from and where were his ancestors from? , it might be that your family has preserved a rare technique that has died out elsewhere.

He was from Zabol (or as we say Zara or Zra, meaning lake, this is also the reason for my name which he chose, Zrasp=horse owner from Zra),
i am not sure where his ancestors came from, i know they have been there for 3 generations before my father, before that i cannot say.

it is very true that they preserved old traditions, possibly for religious reasons.
Some of these old traditions I myself keep to this day, eg. the way of drinking water, burning fire,etc...

some more:
a.respecting the Fire.
b.giving one every 12 hunts, back to nature.
c.1st separation of male children from family at 5. .
d.belt ceremony, long hair & beard for men after 20.
e.Monthly ceremonies eg.shooting burning arrows in SADE ceremony.
etc.

Zarasp.

Thanks Zarasp. I will have to look up my histories about Zabol.

Bede wrote:

Thanks Zarasp. I will have to look up my histories about Zabol.

never thought that Archery would put me on this path but here are my recent findings....

today The county of Zabol city is caled SISTAN=land of Sakazi people.

the surname of the family was SWORRAN PAHLAW, which was changed in 1927, due to kings name: Pahlawi....

i also found out that The Name Shahne which i was wrongly taught to mean Horseman, actually means King-put...

they still keep the language of Pahlawi& religion of Zartosht... language & religion of Pre-Islamic Iran...

unfortunately for me these dots are too hard to connect... so if anyone has info on these names please let me know.

Sincerely
Zarasp.

Zarasp; Several years ago I visited Hazorasp town in Khorezm province of Uzbekistan. Cannot help but notice the similarity of names. Not so far from your homeland. Jack

Here is picutures I found

1.) Sculpture showing Parthian Horse Archer, Iran, 1-3 Century AD
note arrows in bow hand

2.) Silver Bowl showing Persian Lion Hunter, Iran, 3-4 Century AD
note "Sassanid" Draw

8) Uli

Hi Uli,
Second Sassanide plate is similar to that one of king Peroz-Firuz hunting scene but this scene shows hunting the lion..Do you have more informations about this bowl, i didn't see this one till now?.Hm, same way of drawing the bow as Bede shown, different than Zarasp, so seems it was 2 ways of Sassanid release...
Pozdrav,

i saw this image recently, in a presentation being made ready for Korean competition in Sokcho & i should say that this particular Sassanid plate is an extremely important figure! this is the ONLY one we have that shows the arrow in front of the face & proves that the index finger is sitting on the arrow.

& as Zoran mentioned this is the same draw that Bede showed earlier.

also i should say that although My traditional draw looks similar to this, it is a variation & i wouldnt call it Sassanid, until we have historical proof that it was used in Sassanid times.


Thanx Uli!

edit: and thanx Jack Farrel, (how did i miss your post?)
very interesting, i will look into it, a town that has my name in it, XvaZarasp . :D

Zarasp,

I commented your release (almost) identical as in this Sassanid plate

http://atarn.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2073

This one inserted by Uli shown ''Bede's release''. So i get conclusion about 2 sort of releases by Sassanids. I hope that your team will develop and confirm it.
Wish you luck.
Best regards,

Note the bow is asymmetric and in the style of the Hunns (of Central Asia).

Thank you Zoran & Jack,

yes the bow is an asymmetric "hun Style" with a long draw that some think is an exaggeration,

maybe its not my place to say if its possible or not for bow limbs of that style to be almost parallel to the ground while at full draw, but i like to think it is.

i hope that someday we will see this kind of draw, horsemanship & bow once again in use.

for me it is sad to see that at the moment the Iranian horseback archery team, uses slow cantering horses with thumb or a modified Hungarian version.

There are some Parthian ivories excavated at Shami showing a three finger draw.

Some of the Sasanian plates do not show the arrows clearly and others show it scratched in as an afterthought.

Bede wrote:

There are some Parthian ivories excavated at Shami showing a three finger draw.

wow, any pictures?

The only ones I have are copyright protected, but I will find out where they come from and see what we can display.