Appearance of Empire period Mongol Bow.
Is there a picture somewhere on this site or can anyone post a picture of what a Mongol bow of the empire period (approximately 1220-1260)looked like?
Stephen has a picture in one of the news letters of Khubilai Khan hunting. One bow is shown at full draw and another's outline can be seen through a cloth cover.
Bede, thanks for your reply. Are you referring to the letter of February 2001 and the paintings of Liu Guandao? If so, these bows don't look a whole lot different from Grozer's Magyar style, am I right? To what extent can the image in an artwork of this sort be trusted?
Many images and archaeological remains attest to the fact that the image in Liu Guandao's painting was broadly correct. I agree that it's not so far off the Hungarian-style bows that Grozer makes. But the limbs would have been a bit wider (around 6cms).
Keep in mind that the Mongolian empire was a very varied rag-bag of nationalities with a number of different bow designs. But the Mongolian bow seen in Mongolia today is not the sort used at the time of the empire: it is an adaptation of the Manchu bows of the Qing Dynasty.
S
Keep in mind that the Mongolian empire was a very varied rag-bag of nationalities with a number of different bow designs. But the Mongolian bow seen in Mongolia today is not the sort used at the time of the empire: it is an adaptation of the Manchu bows of the Qing Dynasty.
S
I have a slightly different view than Stephen on what the artist was trying to represent. I think that it is closer to the Omnogorov bow than a Magyar one. However, it is only an impression based on the drawn bow and the outline of the tip in the bow wrapped in cloth. I think there is a slight recurve at the end of the ear.
The later Rashid ed-Din illustration shows string bridges at this point. It is also my feeling as Stephen suggests that there were several bow types used in the empire period though I see it as a period of transition between the straight ended bow and the recurved eared bow.
As individual bows are discovered in dated contexts we will learn more. Stephen has already illustrated a Tangut bow of the Mongol period eslewhere on this site.
Due to the longevity of composite bows, changes might take a lifetime to spread through a society. A working bow would only be replaced when it failed unless you were rich or captured a better bow.
The later Rashid ed-Din illustration shows string bridges at this point. It is also my feeling as Stephen suggests that there were several bow types used in the empire period though I see it as a period of transition between the straight ended bow and the recurved eared bow.
As individual bows are discovered in dated contexts we will learn more. Stephen has already illustrated a Tangut bow of the Mongol period eslewhere on this site.
Due to the longevity of composite bows, changes might take a lifetime to spread through a society. A working bow would only be replaced when it failed unless you were rich or captured a better bow.