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What is a Warbow ?

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Jaro:
The bows from waterford are so obviously viking its not even coincidentall, some of them look pretty much like hedaby bows,nocks and all, other have ornate type of pin nock,but once again thing not unknown in germanic environ. Waterford was raided by vikings like 4 or 5 times and burned down couple of times. I wouldnt be surprised if numbers of fighting tools were lying around just uncovered. What we do not seem to perceive, that generic longbow is so simple thing, that saxon would not consider viking bow any other type of bow than his own and that later medieval english archery is not some homogenous body which appeared at once from mysterious source (like my favorite "english longbow was brought from wales"), but rather synthesis of similar archery traditions of different tribes, which eventually destiled along socio-cultural contact.
We have for example saxon bows and viking bows, both from people who came into england and settled there and apparently there was indigenous british archery tradition before and as usually this all mixed.
The fact that the level of technology among them was similar and that they in more than one case shared congeniall language made all this much easier.

J.

nidrinr:
Without referring to anything but common sense;  I think people from the northwestern parts of Europe have traded and fought since long before we think possible. By studying languages, their development and similarities, and looking with the same eyes at cultural influence, of course they shared and picked up ideas from eachother long before we think they did.
-And by the way, I don't know how many of you who have read "snorre", but by reading it one understand how much prestige there was in being able to pull the heaviest bow. Exactly how heavy the really heavy bows from the viking age were is hard to say, but I'm willing to bet quite a lot of money that not many people today (if any) would have been able to pull Einar Tambarskjelves bow.
And I guess it was not only the vikings who put prestige in pulling the heaviest bow.

But back to the question, in my definition a warbow is a bow able to be used effectively in artillery.

Rod:
Seems to me that in functional terms it is the ability to outrange someone who is shooting back at you using heavy arrows and to be effective against the defensive systems then current.

The draw-weight would then tend to be in the heavy hunting bow and upward range according to the stage of development in the race between offensive and defensive systems.
According to the time, place and cultural context this could mean anything from 70lb (perhaps even less in some cultures) up to weights in excess of the 150lb.

It is likely that the most accurate shooting would be done by those shooting somewhat less draw-weight than the most that they can draw, which has always been the case.

Rod.

recurve shooter:
a bow that i cant draw.  ;D

KenH:
I would define "war bow" as a bow specifically manufactured for military purposes.  Not what showed up when you drafted all the peasants with whatever they had.  Bows that were specifically manufactured in military arsenals for military purposes. 

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