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The Holmegaard bows are a series of self bows found in the
bog A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and muskeg; a ...
s of Northern Europe dating from the Mesolithic period.Comstock, P (1992). ''Ancient European Bows'', pp. 87-88. The Traditional Bowyers Bible Volume 2. The Lyons Press, 1992. They are named after the
Holmegaard Until 1 January 2007, Holmegaard was a municipality ( Danish, '' kommune'') in Storstrøm County in the southern part of the island of Zealand (''Sjælland'') in south Denmark. The municipality covered an area of 66 km2, and had a total ...
area of
Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...
in which the first and oldest specimens were found, and are the oldest bows discovered anywhere in the world.


Description

The shape of the Holmegaard bows is their distinctive feature, having wide, parallel limbs and a biconvex midsection with the tips ending in a point. The handle is deep, narrow and remains stiff while the bow is drawn. The bows are generally between 170 and 180 cm in length and less than 6 cm wide. It has been suggested that only the inner limbs of a Holmegaard style bow bend in use,Baker, T (1994). ''Bows of the World'', pp. 45-46. The Traditional Bowyers Bible Volume 3. The Lyons Press, 1994. but this is incorrect, they bend to their tips.Mesolithic Bows from Denmark and Northern Europe. Jan H Sachers. https://www.academia.edu/11765815/Mesolithic_Bows_from_Denmark_and_Northern_Europe accessed 14.9.2017. First published in Lee, Noh-Shin (Ed.), Study of Structures, Materials & Manufacturing Processes of World Traditional Bows & Arrows, Cheonan 2009, pp. 155-180. All Mesolithic bows from this area are made of elm, the best European bow wood apart from
yew Yew is a common name given to various species of trees. It is most prominently given to any of various coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Taxus'': * European yew or common yew (''Taxus baccata'') * Pacific yew or western yew (''Taxus br ...
. (Yew spread to modern Denmark only in about the third millennium BCE.)


Use

Initially, the Holmegaard bows were believed to have been made "backwards", that is with wood removed from the back and the
belly Belly may refer to: Anatomy * The abdomen, the part of the body between the pelvis and the thorax; or the stomach ** A beer belly, an overhang of fat above the waist, presumed to be caused by regular beer drinking ** Belly dance * The fleshy, cent ...
made convex. This may be the result of a comparison with the
English longbow The English longbow was a powerful medieval type of bow, about long. While it is debated whether it originated in England or in Wales from the Welsh bow, by the 14th century the longbow was being used by both the English and the Welsh as a ...
that has a flat back and a convex belly. Many successful replicas were made in this fashion even though working the back of the bow cuts the wood fibres and endangers the bow. Subsequent analysis suggested the back may have instead been convex with the flattened surface being the belly. This is far more efficient for woods like elm which are relatively strong in tension. The compression strain on the belly is evenly distributed on the flat surface which reduces string follow. Later
yew Yew is a common name given to various species of trees. It is most prominently given to any of various coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Taxus'': * European yew or common yew (''Taxus baccata'') * Pacific yew or western yew (''Taxus br ...
bows are generally narrower, yew being better suited for narrow bows than elm.


Efficiency

The Holmegaard design, under the previous interpretation of a bow that bends only in the broad inner part of the limbs, may be able to shoot an arrow faster and farther due to the light, long and stiff outer limbs that act as levers when propelling the arrow. This is the same principle that explains why a dart can be propelled faster from an Atlatl than from throwing alone. Such "Holmegaard style" bows are used in flight archery competitions. For flight bows, an optimum between the length of the stiff tips and the draw force of the bow is desired. If the outer limbs are too long, their weight exceeds the capacity of the energy stored in inner limbs. The outer limbs can also become unstable if made too thin. In modern Holmegaard-style bows, the outer limbs are much thicker than the inner limbs to prevent the outer limbs from bending excessively. The original specimens were not finished for such high performance. There is even doubt as to whether the biconvex shape of the mid-limbs is due to poor preservation in the bogs. The more recent Holmegaards do not have well defined "shoulders" at all and have more semblance to the American flatbow.Lansac, P ''Les arcs de Holmegaard'', http://www.archerie-primitive.com/articles/arcs-holmegaard.htm , Archerie Primitive(French), June 29, 2009. Because of the wide working limbs, Holmegaard bows can be made from more common, lower density woods such as
maple ''Acer'' () is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated since h ...
,
ash Ash or ashes are the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non-gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash ...
, and oak, as well as elm.


References


External links


The Holmegaard bow
at the Nationalmuseet {{Archery Bows (archery) European archaeology Archaeological discoveries in Denmark