The origins

Almost each of earth’s people used bows in their history and
individual bow constructions were invented throughout the continents
with the only exception of Australia. It is one of the most ancient
weapons, an exceptional example of ancient invention, engineering and
craftsmanship. Use of the bow affected everyday life. A lot of
literature was written about it. Bows used to decide the outcome of
wars. It was an engineering marvel compared to its predecessor, the
pike.

The exact place and time of the bow’s origin is not clear. In north
Africa ten thousand year old arrowheads were found.

Our ancestors used animal intestines to attach arrowheads to the
arrows. The also used the same material for the string. The first bows
were basically branches of trees bent and fixed with a string.

The cave graffitis depict the bow as a piece of hunting equipment.
Later, when our ancestors multiplied and sometimes probably fought
each other for dominance, a better bow usually meant a recipe of
victory. The first person we know was killed with a bow some five
thousand years ago was Ötzi, the iceman, found frozen in the glacier
of the Alps.