A scythian bow by L. Novotny

Thanks for the photos and the link.

My knowledge of French is lame. I gather that there was a horseback archery tournament in Toronto. Am I right?

Also, is one of those publications a treatise or manual on shooting from horseback?

I still say that the Scythian bows' profiles strongly resemble the profiles of Korean bows.

This is a very nice reconstruction!

I?ve checked out the topic on www. webarcherie.com.

I would like to know if this bow is backed with sinew or with artificial fibre?
As I understand the postings the drawlength is 20"? I guess I misunderstood something?

The most interesting fact is the thickness of this bow. Obvoiusly is the scythian bow found in Xinjiang the model for Novotny?s reconstruction, but this bow-finding is about 2cm thick in the midlimb. I guess Lucas?bow is about 8mm in thickness at midlimb.
We?ve discussed the thickness of scythian bows very controversal, but this reconstruction could be another prove that the bow-finding of Xinjiang is a grave-good?

So, who knows the drawweight of Lucas? reconstruction?

Mjuingong, I think you are right by comparing the scythian bow with the korean bow.
Fortunately I got the opportunity to go on with my research on scythian bows and my newest trial has much more reflex than my reconstructions of scythian bows finished in the spring of 2005.
My "new Scythian" still needs its "drying-time", so I could post it in the spring of 2007.

Michael

This scythian bow is a true horn bow- water buffalo horn belly, sinew back. I believe that the core is probably maple or birch, but I didn't ask the last time I was out there.

This bow was modeled after the Xinjiang bow, (From what I understand) based on measurements taken by S. Selby. Lukas took a look at the dimensions and concluded that the Xinjiang bow would have been well over 100# and decided to make something somewhat more reasonable. While I'm not sure the length of draw (the bow is very small), I believe the poundage to be in the 50# range.

B.

The Xinjiang bows have mountain goat horn both across the belly and from the front to the back of the limb (at least, for most of the length of the working limb). They are sinewed on the back and spirally around the whole bow structure apart from the tips.

The internal structure is very complex and I am still waiting for x-rays to confirm it. I am not sure whether Lucas used this copmplex structure or a more conventional horn belly structure.

I confirm that the appearance of Lucas's bow unstrung is very close to the Xinjiang originals, except that in the originals, the contrast in length between the upper (longer) limb and the lower is much more pronounced.

Thanks, BMGeisler for answering my questions.

I was asking for the backing cause L. Novotny usually seems to make backings of artificial fibres. This is my conclusion after having a look at his website.

Happy new year, Michael

Stephen- Lukas' reconstruction is of the usual traditional type. While he has made Egyptian bows with a complex core, this particular Scythian was an experiment in form. To my knowledge there was no attempt to make the bow in any way asymmetrical. I'm unsure of the reason for asymmetry in the originals.

Redhawk- Lukas is able to make a full range of traditional, sinew-backed horn-bellied bows. I have seen and shot these bows in the styles of Egyptian, Mongol, Manchu, Indo-Persian, Turkish, Crim-Tartar, Crab, and Scythian bows. He does not, however, advertise them commercially. Lukas' primary business is fiberglass bows based on design principles found in the Asiatic family of bows.