Roman Arrows

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JimN
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Location: Derbyshire

Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 2:02 pm Post subject: Roman Arrows

Whilst looking for something completely different, I came across this interesting article; http://www.romanarmy.net/arrows.htm Unfortunately there's nothing pertaining to the actual bows used. _________________ Jim Bring me my Bow of burning gold; Bring me my Arrows of Desire;

Club: Black Arrow Field Archery Club
Bow: Internature Viper AFB (45# @ 28")
Sight: Staring maniacally
Arrows: 31" POC
Accesories: Silver patent leather slingbacks

segolden
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Posts: 2447
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Location: Willcox, Arizona, USA

Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 2:29 pm Post subject:

Bolt quarrels and artillery balls? The balls I understand, but are the bolts from large ballistae or individual-sized crossbows? A few writers have speculated that the lack of native archers in far-posted Roman garrisons was made up for by crossbowmen, either derived from artillery technology, or foreign sources such as China (where the crossbow had already been in use for a thousand years). Considering the wide-spread trade that Rome was constantly engaged in (Latin items have been discovered in Japan and both North and South America), I'd be surprised if this technology was unknown to them. We may just have overlooked it for the same reasons that we've had few examples of longbows surviving until the Mary Rose, in that products made of wood are rarely preserved unless through freak circumstances. _________________ "For I have drawn Judah taut and applied [My hand] to Ephraim as to a bow." Zech. 9:13 http://www.freenations.freeuk.com/ http://www.melaniephillips.com/

Club: none
Bow: Quinn Comet XL, Grozer Horsebow, KG ELB, Two Rivers R/D
Sight: DAS Kinetic SRF
Arrows: Easton X7 Eclipse 1916's, GT XT Hunter 3555's
Accesories: Sims SRS stab, enhancer & Limbsavers; Dawgware side-quiver

Awaiting MBLLC Phoenix bow

ratty
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Posts: 39
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 7:51 pm Post subject:

the bows used by the romans were like hungarian /scythian /mongolian composite bows they were also used in britain evidence of this has been found on hadrians wall http://w10.eleven2.com/~joorthuy/...=3d7142e38bc78749309fb90b41992dd7 most roman army archers were usually from syria and around that way, heres what they would have looked like in the roman army, complete with bow and arrows Last edited by ratty on Fri Mar 16, 2007 9:46 pm; edited 1 time in total

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segolden
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Location: Willcox, Arizona, USA

Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 9:36 pm Post subject:

Cool stuff, ratty, most people don't think of these colonial troops as Roman, but indeed they are. That style of fletching cut is my favorite, as well. Just wondering if there might have been auxiliary crossbowmen too, particularly in the East. There's indications that at least one unit ended up in central China, after being captured during the Parthian incursion. _________________ "For I have drawn Judah taut and applied [My hand] to Ephraim as to a bow." Zech. 9:13 http://www.freenations.freeuk.com/ http://www.melaniephillips.com/

ratty
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Posts: 39
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 9:43 pm Post subject:

segolden wrote:

Cool stuff, ratty, most people don't think of these colonial troops as Roman, but indeed they are. That style of fletching cut is my favorite, as well.

Just wondering if there might have been auxiliary crossbowmen too, particularly in the East. There's indications that at least one unit ended up in central China, after being captured during the Parthian incursion.

im not sure.

ill investigate

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