Arrow

An arrow is a

fin

-stabilized

projectile

launched by a

bow

. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight ''shaft'' with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) ''

arrowhead

'' attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers called ''fletchings'' mounted near the rear, and a slot at the rear end called '' nock'' for engaging the bowstring. A container or bag carrying additional arrows for convenient reloading is called a ''

quiver

''.

The use of bows and arrows by humans predates recorded history and is common to most

culture

s. A craftsman who makes arrows is a '' fletcher'', and one that makes arrowheads is an ''arrowsmith''.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 56

History

The oldest evidence of likely arrowheads, dating to c. 64,000 years ago, were found in Sibudu Cave, current

South Africa

. Backwell L, d'Errico F, Wadley L.(2008). Middle Stone Age bone tools from the Howiesons Poort layers, Sibudu Cave, South Africa. Journal of Archaeological Science, 35:1566–1580. Backwell L, Bradfield J, Carlson KJ, Jashashvili T, Wadley L, d'Errico F.(2018). The antiquity of bow-and-arrow technology: evidence from Middle Stone Age layers at Sibudu Cave. Journal of Archaeological Science, 92:289–303. Likely arrowheads made from animal bones have been discovered in the Fa Hien Cave in

Sri Lanka

which are also the oldest evidence for the use of arrows outside of Africa dating to c. 48,000 years ago. The oldest evidence of the use of bows to shoot arrows dates to about 10,000 years ago; it is based on

pine

wood arrows found in the Ahrensburg valley north of

Hamburg

. They had shallow grooves on the base, indicating that they were shot from a bow. The oldest bow so far recovered is about 8,000 years old, found in the Holmegård swamp in Denmark.
Archery seems to have arrived in the Americas with the Arctic small tool tradition, about 4,500 years ago.

Size

Arrow sizes vary greatly across cultures, ranging from eighteen inches to six feet (45 cm to 150 cm). Stone, George Cameron (1934). '' A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration, and Use of Arms and Armor in All Countries and in All Times'', Mineola: Dover Publications. However, most modern arrows are to in length. Arrows recovered from the Mary Rose, an English warship that sank in 1545 were mostly long. Very short arrows have been used, shot through a guide attached either to the bow (an "overdraw") or to the archer's wrist (the Turkish "siper"). These may fly farther than heavier arrows, and an enemy without suitable equipment may find himself unable to return them.

Shaft

The shaft is the primary structural element of the arrow, to which the other components are attached. Traditional arrow shafts are made from strong, lightweight

wood

,

bamboo

or reeds, while modern shafts may be made from

aluminium

, carbon fibre reinforced plastic, or a combination of materials. Such shafts are typically made from an

aluminium

core wrapped with a carbon fibre outer. A traditional premium material is Port Orford Cedar.

Spine

The stiffness of the shaft is known as its ''spine'', referring to how little the shaft bends when compressed, hence an arrow which bends less is said to have more spine. In order to strike consistently, a group of arrows must be similarly spined. "Center-shot" bows, in which the arrow passes through the central vertical axis of the bow riser, may obtain consistent results from arrows with a wide range of spines. However, most traditional bows are not center-shot and the arrow has to deflect around the handle in the archer's paradox; such bows tend to give most consistent results with a narrower range of arrow spine that allows the arrow to deflect correctly around the bow. Bows with higher draw weight will generally require stiffer arrows, with more spine (less flexibility) to give the correct amount of flex when shot.

GPI rating

The weight of an arrow shaft can be expressed in GPI (grains per inch). The length of a shaft in inches multiplied by its GPI rating gives the weight of the shaft in grains. For example, a shaft that is long and has a GPI of 9.5 weighs . This does not include the other elements of a finished arrow, so a complete arrow will be heavier than the shaft alone.

Footed arrows

Sometimes a shaft will be made of two different types of wood fastened together, resulting in what is known as a footed arrow. Known by some as the finest of wood arrows, footed arrows were used both by early Europeans and Native Americans. Footed arrows will typically consist of a short length of

hardwood

near the head of the arrow, with the remainder of the shaft consisting of softwood. By reinforcing the area most likely to break, the arrow is more likely to survive impact, while maintaining overall flexibility and lighter weight.

Barreled arrow shafts

A barreled arrow shaft is one that tapers in diameter bi-directionally. This allows for an arrow that has an optimum weight yet retains enough strength to resist flex. A Qing dynasty arrow shaft was examined by archery enthusiast Peter Dekker and found to exhibit the following qualities:

*Total shaft length:
*Thickness at waist line:
*Thickness at end of feather:
*Thickness from end:
*Thickness from end:
*Thickness from end:
*Thickness from end:
*Thickness at end:

The resultant point-of-balance of the arrow shaft was thus 38.5% of the length of the arrow from the tip. Barreled arrow shafts are considered the zenith of pre-industrial archery technology, reaching their peak design among the Ottomans.

Arrowhead

The arrowhead or projectile point is the primary functional part of the arrow, and plays the largest role in determining its purpose. Some arrows may simply use a sharpened tip of the solid shaft, but it is far more common for separate arrowheads to be made, usually from metal, horn, or some other hard material. Arrowheads are usually separated by function:

* Bodkin points are short, rigid points with a small cross-section. They were made of unhardened iron and may have been used for better or longer flight, or for cheaper production. It has been mistakenly suggested that the bodkin came into its own as a means of penetrating armour, but research has found no hardened bodkin points, so it is likely that it was first designed either to extend range or as a cheaper and simpler alternative to the broadhead. In a modern test, a direct hit from a hard steel bodkin point penetrated

Damascus

chain armour. However, archery was not effective against plate armour, which became available to knights of fairly modest means by the late 14th century.

*Blunts are unsharpened arrowheads occasionally used for types of target shooting, for shooting at stumps or other targets of opportunity, or hunting small game when the goal is to concuss the target without penetration. Blunts are commonly made of metal or hard rubber. They may stun, and occasionally, the arrow shaft may penetrate the head and the target; safety is still important with blunt arrows.
*Judo points have spring wires extending sideways from the tip. These catch on grass and debris to prevent the arrow from being lost in the vegetation. Used for practice and for small game.
*Broadheads were used for war and are still used for hunting. Medieval broadheads could be made from steel, sometimes with hardened edges. They usually have two to four sharp blades that cause massive

bleeding

in the victim. Their function is to deliver a wide cutting edge so as to kill as quickly as possible by cleanly cutting major blood vessels, and cause further trauma on removal. They are expensive, damage most targets, and are usually not used for practice.
:There are two main types of broadheads used by hunters: the fixed-blade and the mechanical types. While the fixed-blade broadhead keeps its blades rigid and unmovable on the broadhead at all times, the mechanical broadhead deploys its blades upon contact with the target, its blades swinging out to wound the target. The mechanical head flies better because it is more streamlined, but has less penetration as it uses some of the kinetic energy in the arrow to deploy its blades. However, hunters recommend mechanical broadheads for hunting big animals like

elk

,

moose

,

american bison

etc.
*Field tips are similar to target points and have a distinct shoulder, so that missed outdoor shots do not become as stuck in obstacles such as tree stumps. They are also used for shooting practice by hunters, by offering similar flight characteristics and weights as broadheads, without getting lodged in target materials and causing excessive damage upon removal.
*Target points are bullet-shaped with a conical point, designed to penetrate target butts easily without causing excessive damage to them.
*Safety arrows are designed to be used in various forms of reenactment combat, to reduce the risk when shot at people. These arrows may have heads that are very wide or padded, such as the large foam ball tip used in

archery tag

._In_combination_with_bows_of_restricted_draw_weight_and_draw_length,_these_heads_may_reduce_to_acceptable_levels_the_risks_of_shooting_arrows_at_suitably_armoured_people._The_parameters_will_vary_depending_on_the_specific_rules_being_used_and_on_the_levels_of_risk_felt_acceptable_to_the_participants._For_instance,_