Artifact Bow Design

[Scallorn]

I was just thinking about some of the very early bows found in the archaeological record. Now, we all know that the best cross section for bow limbs is flat, wide, and somewhat rectangular. But, when you look at some of the most famous old bows from almost any continent, you see allot of bows with rounded cross sections and very narrow profiles. From the yew stave found with Otzi the iceman, to the heavyweight bows made by the Hadza, to the Spiro mounds bow made of osage found just north of where i live, and even the heavy welsh longbows made of elm. All of them are narrow and have a near perfectly  round cross section. And obviously no distinguishable handle section. I'm just wondering why it is that after having thousands of years to develop their archery equipment, why would they stick with that design? Please post any thoughts.
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[OTDEAN]

The bow designs used by people around the world were shaped from their environments.  Big wide limbed bows were used in northern Europe before Yew became more common after the ice retreated. This is well documented in the TBB.  People were using Elm and wide limbed designs before Yew became more common and therefore material for long, deep stack designs could be used more easily.  Having said that, I have had mixed results with Elm and Ash with longbows with stacked belly's.

You get more bows using hide glue and sinew in dry climates etc..  There is not one particular design better than another, just designs that fit specific wood species and climates etc... 

I have read somewhere that one of the reasons why most horse archer armies did not conquer north west Europe when everyone else capitulated was because the climate did not lend itself to the sinew backed horse bow that was suited to drier climates, even when birch tar and birch bark was used to protect the sinew/hide glue mixture from the wetter climate of North West Europe.  Fact or fiction, I can't say, but, it certainly raises the point that bows are like kids, they tend to be the product of their environment.  Show me a fat kid and I will show you a diet of sugar etc...b Enjoy my non-scientific take on it!

[JackCrafty]

Narrow bows are easier to make, simple as that.  Modern minds can't get wrapped around the fact that perfect bows were not all-important back in the day.  That's our problem, not theirs.   

[Traxx]

I like that reply jackcrafty