Main Discussion Area > English Warbow

War bow string theory

<< < (6/9) > >>

Davepim:
Although both hemp/linen and wood contain cellulose, they are structurally very different. In wood the cellulose fibres are bound together with a variety of lignins which resist the rot induced by micro organisms. Yew is particularly resistant to rot, but any wood buried under anaerobic conditions will in any case be protected. If strings were in the mud you'd think they would also be protected so it's possible that the archers were carrying all the strings with them when the ship went down and these were exposed to the water, as would have been any strings on bows in use at the time.

Cheers, Dave

bow-toxo:

--- Quote from: Davepim on June 01, 2009, 05:32:10 am --- If strings were in the mud you'd think they would also be protected so it's possible that the archers were carrying all the strings with them when the ship went down and these were exposed to the water, as would have been any strings on bows in use at the time.

Cheers, Dave

--- End quote ---

  That might be the explanation. One of the bows was found bent up in what would have been a shaftment brace height if the string were still on it. Obviously the set occurred before the string dissolved.

Yewboy:

[/quote]

  That might be the explanation. One of the bows was found bent up in what would have been a shaftment brace height if the string were still on it. Obviously the set occurred before the string dissolved.
[/quote]

If it was braced when the ship went down then why didn't it float away??????????, It seems a little strange that as it would float that it was still found around the wreck site after so many hundreds of years....hmmmmm!

bow-toxo:

--- Quote from: Yewboy on June 15, 2009, 05:45:45 am ---
If it was braced when the ship went down then why didn't it float away??????????, It seems a little strange that as it would float that it was still found around the wreck site after so many hundreds of years....hmmmmm!


--- End quote ---

Probably the same reason that the other bows and arrows found on the ship didn't float away, Apparently some did. The number recovered was fewer than thiose listed in the inventory.

basilisk120:
Just a thought.  If the bows were in silt, or even if they weren't this might work, could the strings have been found with the bows only they didn't realize it and the strings were washed away with the muck that was on the bow?  A water logged string that has been sitting in muck might not be the different from the mud around it.  Not sure how the bows were rescued but could the act of pulling them up destroyed the string. 

Were other cloth artifacts found or was it only leather?

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

[*] Previous page