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About Mongolian War Bow

Blog Introduction: The Mongolian war bow is a recurved composite bow used in the Mongol empires during their conquest of much of Eurasia in the 13th and 14th centuries. The bows were made out of layers of different types of wood, with animal horns on the belly side of the bow (facing the archer) to prevent it from breaking when shot. Mongolian war bows were extremely powerful, with a draw weight that could range anywhere from 100 to 160 pounds. That’s enough force to shoot an arrow through multiple layers of armor!

Mongolian Archery on Steppes

Mongolian horse archers were some of the most feared warriors of their time. They were able to fire up to 10 arrows per minute while riding at a full gallop! One account from a 14th-century European source described how a single Mongol cavalryman was able to shoot his arrows so fast that “it seemed as if snowflakes were falling from the sky.” Another said that it was “as if raindrops fell during a storm.”

The Secret to the Mongolian War Bow’s Power

So just how did these warriors wielding such mighty weapons manage to fire them so quickly? The answer has to do with both the design of the bow and the special training that Mongol archers underwent. First, because the war bows were recurved, they could be drawn back further than straight bows without breaking. This allowed for more tension to be placed on the bowstring, resulting in a more powerful shot. Second, Mongol archers trained from a young age to develop immense upper-body strength. Not only did this help them draw back heavier bows, but it also allowed them to hold their bows fully drawn for long periods of time without tiring.

Conclusion

The next time you see a movie depicting hordes of mounted archers raining arrows down on their enemies, remember that those scenes are based on reality—specifically, on the tactics employed by the Mongols during their conquests. The secret to their success was partly due to the design of their composite war bows, which could store more energy than straight wooden bows, and partly due to years of training and practice that gave them superhuman strength and accuracy.