The Scythian Bow - History and Archeology

A video on the Scythians and their preferred long-range weapon, the composite recurve bow.

[AJKecsk]

To this day, this is the best single informative video I've seen on the Scythian bow.

[briananderson]

I love to hear about anything Scythian

[professorgryphonsmuseumofb]

As a retired archeologist, I appreciate the clarity with which you presented the data. Good job. Makes me want to buy a repro bow just to feel a connection with these people and their culture. What richness of history would we have had it other bow using people's had been buried in as dry conditions.

[murraykriner]

What an intriguing expose about a subject that I have been interested in since Middle-School when I first read about these people in history, especially after seeing the burial remains of these ingenious and highly structured social orders. The bow, of which I was made a user of early adolescence by friends and family members, has given me a lasting fascination with a recurved varieties, which I still own to date. Many more modern products of the Mongolian region, as well as the Turkish peoples still bear evidence of these ancient folk and their laminated arms for conflict. It is however rather curious how science can only guess about the secrets of these bows, and their method of current manufacture, as collecting such a replica of their bows would only make our own connections more profound, if just to be able to use them in modern times.

[natalieselnitsyna]

Good presentation of Scythian history and weaponry! I would call a larger territory as Scythian-inhabited - the entire steppe area of present-day Kazakhstan, part of arid Cetral Asia (Uzbek and Tadjik fertile valleys), Eastern Turkistan (What is now Xinjian-Uighur Autonomous Region). In every burial mound dated back to Bronze age we and our archiologists found the type of bow which you are showing at the beginning of your video. Lovely hand mirrors, bronze and gold jewellery beautiful clothing, gold-plated short-bladed swords along with recurve bows and other weaponry of those tombs indicate that those were burials of highly respected women-chiftains who were also great warriors of their time. The Hellenic myths about Herakles and Amazons might be partly true and based on Greek stories from their early travels to the Northern Caucasus, Black Sea coast and the Caspian sea. The Scythian and Tohar Amazons did exist, guys. We no longer have doubts about that. The well preserved mummies from Xinjiang (Urumqi) museum testify to the fact that these pretty women were perfect archers of their time. Women participated in warfare along with men, if not more actively

[bigbensarrowheadchannel]

This weapon has stood the test of time. What a fantastic bow.

[Danandlene]

Thanks for making this, great information! I was surprised that all those archeological examples were asymmetric - in all modern reconstructions I can find they are only made symmetric.

[cedarlopatecki]

Great video! thanks for all the knowledge.

[bonefetcherbrimley]

This was neat, thanks A.H, I appreciate the effort:3

[JWBBows]

Great video! I see a Scythian bow I made in your video.

[rogerwilson]

It would seem the recurve bow could have come from the Chinese or Monglians for the Chinese came up with the cross bow. It came out the steppes to the world at some time in the past wow so interesting thanks for the video.

[caiooca]

Nice video, the only downside is that is could have made it longer, I wanted more rs rs. Well to make some constructive criticism, the microphone could be a better one also.

[aranykert]

Even the Bible says that there was time on Earth, when there was only one nation, the Scythians! They fell apart, when the "divide and rule" dark forces created war and division among them. Today, they live in the Carpathian valley in small numbers. However, they still live everywhere in the World oppressed and fragmented. Their colours are red white and green. Whichever flag has those colours, there is an ancient Scythian population live there!

[palavpalavets]

What do you mean by "east europen features"?

[oliverave]

At 0:40, does a right-hander put the arrow on the right side of the bow? I learned the opposite.

[antoniescargo]

I learned that European rivernames with D came prob. from Sarmats, Scyths or eastern Kelts. Donau, Don, Dnjepr

[altinadam]

Xinjian bows and chariots of Yueji people of Tarim basin are a bit different from those of the neighboring Saka Scythians who lived on the other side of Tien Shan or present day Kazakhstan. I believe these were different nomadic tribes with similar habits and look. Linguistically they wer closer to Tokharian nomads of later ages. Yueji disappear in history in mid 1st century B.C. when they were ousted by Hunnu (probably ancestors of the Huns) had had to flee in several directions. Probably were assimilated by Baktrians, Persians and Saka Scythians who also had a massive exodus to Persia and India where they formed several states. DNA analysis of tomb remnants could either support or deny the kinship of Yueji and Saka Scythians

[КошербайАбдурахманов]

Гректерде одесеи садағының технологиясы сақталған ба екен?

[memyselfi]

Herodotus mentions "Scythians" as a people living in Northwestern Iran, they also clearly spoke an Iranian language which is related to modern Ossetian in the Caucasus. Many of these other artifacts found north of this area, (including the bows in China, which are probably of Mongolian origin) have no proven relation to the people Greeks are referring to.

[tonymaurice]

Someone make one today from tamerisk and ibex horn!