Laminated bow
A bow made by laminating materials into the stave.
A laminated bow is an archery bow whose stave is built by bonding different materials together. Traditional composite bows are usually excluded from this category, even though their use of horn, wood, and sinew could fit the definition.
Laminated bows made from wood, horn, and sinew were produced by the Egyptians, Scythians, and Assyrians as early as the 2nd millennium BCE. The oldest known all-wood laminated bows come from Scythian cultures. One such bow, discovered in Ukraine in the 19th century and now kept at the Institute of Archaeology, was made from thin strips of willow and alder wood glued with fish glue and wrapped in birch bark. It had a double-curved shape, measured 32 inches long, and may have shot arrows over 500 yards.
In 2006, an international expedition in the Altai Mountains of western Mongolia found a laminated bow linked to the Scythian Pazyryk culture. This bow had a complex construction: many fine wood strips glued side by side, with a wooden reinforcement plate at the handle. The entire bow was spirally wrapped in rawhide and birch bark, which strengthened it and made it resistant to water and humidity. It dates to the 3rd century BCE.
The modern Japanese yumi is a laminated bow. Laminated bows appeared in Japan around 1000 CE, during the late Heian or Kamakura period. They were made from wood and bamboo bonded with glue, evolving from simple bamboo-backed bows into complex five-piece bows (higo yumi) by the 1600s. The Sámi and neighboring peoples across northern Eurasia also made laminated bows for centuries, and Hejaz Arabs may have used them as well.
Reading Museum holds an Inuit-made laminated bow from the Pelly Bay area of Nunavut, Canada. It consists of three bone shims laminated near the handle, reinforced at the joints with rawhide, and comes with two short driftwood arrows tipped with bone. This bow reflects the scarcity of wood in the Arctic and the resourcefulness of pre-contact indigenous Inuit.
- Oldest known wood laminate bow culture
- Scythian
- Oldest known wood laminate bow length
- 32 in
- Oldest known wood laminate bow possible
- over 500 yd
- Scythian pazyryk bow date
- 3rd century BCE
- Japanese laminated bow first appearance
- around 1000 CE
- Japanese higo yumi emergence
- by the 1600s
Lore & Background
The Egyptians, Scythians and Assyrians had been making laminate bows out of combinations of wood, horn and sinew as early as the 2nd millennium BCE. The oldest known laminated bows (made entirely of wood) belong to the Scythian cultures. A Scythian wood-laminate bow was discovered in the 19th century in Ukraine and is currently held at the Institute of Archaeology. It was constructed by laminating several fine strips of willow and alder wood, bound with fish glue and wrapped in birch bark. It had a double-curved shape, was 32 in long and may have been capable of shooting arrows at distances of over 500 yd.
In 2006, an international expedition to the Altai Mountains region in western Mongolia uncovered a laminate bow, associated with the Scythian Pazyryk culture. It is of a complicated construction, with many fine strips of wood glued side-by-side, and a wooden reinforcement plate glued to the handle. The entire bow was wrapped in spiral form with rawhide and birch bark; in addition to reinforcing the construction this also made the bow resistant to water and humidity. The bow is dated to the 3rd century BCE.
The modern Japanese yumi is a laminated bow. Laminated bows in Japan first appeared around 1000 CE, during the late Heian or Kamakura period. They were made of wood and bamboo laminated with glue, evolving from simple bamboo-backed bows to complex bows of five piece construction (higo yumi) by the 1600s. The Sámi and their neighbours across northern Eurasia also made laminated bows for centuries. Hejaz Arabs may also have used a laminated bow.
Reader's Guide
The laminated bow represents a significant technological tradition spanning millennia and multiple cultures. From the Scythian wood-laminate bow discovered in Ukraine, capable of shooting over 500 yards, to the Pazyryk culture bow from the Altai Mountains with its water-resistant rawhide and birch bark wrapping, these bows demonstrate sophisticated construction techniques. The Japanese yumi evolved from simple bamboo-backed bows to the complex five-piece higo yumi by the 1600s, while the Sámi and their neighbours across northern Eurasia also made laminated bows for centuries. The Inuit of the Pelly Bay area in Nunavut, Canada, produced a laminate bow from three shims of bone laminated near the handle, reinforced with rawhide, reflecting the shortage of wood in the Arctic and the improvisation of pre-contact indigenous Inuit. This bow, held at Reading Museum, is accompanied by two short driftwood arrows with bone points. The legacy of laminated bows continues through modern fiberglass-laminated bows, as documented in works such as those by John Clark, and the multi-volume Traditional Bowyers Bible series.
Did You Know?
- A Scythian wood-laminate bow discovered in Ukraine was constructed from willow and alder strips bound with fish glue and wrapped in birch bark.
- The Japanese yumi evolved into a five-piece construction known as higo yumi by the 1600s.
- An Inuit laminate bow from Nunavut, Canada, was made from three shims of bone laminated near the handle and reinforced with rawhide.
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