History of Archery

The Colorful History of Archery

Archery has indeed built a name of its own in the arena of sports. But this sport has been in the arena for quite a long time now. In fact, the history of archery is very rich all on its own!

Let us take this time to look into this rich history of archery. First and foremost, if you think the history of archery dates to the time when people relied on this activity for survival, then you are quite right. Archery enthusiasts weren’t into the activity just for sport way back then. The colorful history of archery can show you that it actually began as a means of survival. Hunting, to be more specific.

Take a look at the sport in itself. It is a sport that involves the shooting of arrows by means of a bow at a certain target. The history of archery dates back to more than 8,000 years ago. Imagine what kind of targets these archers would have been shooting then. Of course, these would be animals, for the sole purpose of survival. This makes sense because back then, there were no poultry farms and such who would process all kinds of meat and sell them commercially to customers worldwide! Thus, the history of archery very much involves hunting.

There’s also the use of archery in war. A deeper look into the history of archery would show you that the first cultures that adopted the use of the bow and arrow as weapons of war were the Native Americans, the Greeks, the Macedonians, and the Chinese. Armies of thousands of soldiers were trained in combat in the art of archery, so that they would be able to shoot down their enemies with precision and accuracy. And the bow and arrow were used as weapons of war for years and years to come! Yes, this is how rich the history of archery has been.

During the medieval times, however, the use of archery in battle gave in to the use of the more modern swords. Even when the crossbow was invented, which gives the archer more power and control than with the ordinary bow, swords were still the preferred weapons at the time. This marked the start of archery taking the background, and eventually into becoming the famous sport that it is now. But you just cannot discount the rich history of archery at any time. Because these bows and arrows were indeed used during significant periods in history.