Top selling bows before gunpowder

[ibex]

I often wonder how the talent pecking order within given groups worked back in the days before gunpowder. I assume they liked fast top quality equipment too. I've read accounts of trading with other outside groups that produced superior bows and other items. There must have been individuals within groups that had superior skills, and were admired by others for their bow building ability?

[Marc St Louis]

I don't believe speed would have been the first consideration, longevity would have been

[bassman]

The west coast sinew backed bows were works of art, as well as their arrow making skills, but I can't for the life of me figure out how they came up with their shooting style. I have made a few of their bows, and tried shooting that style, but couldn't catch on, but thumbs up to Ishi ,and his neighbors. Check Billy Berger shooting one on utube. Master craftsmen of the bow, and arrow. Then their were the "Turks" and Mongols  with their siyah bows. Some of them shooting 900 meters plus in their flight shooting games which would put them in a class of their own. The bow, and arrow has an amazing History.

[ibex]

The ancient account of King Amenhotep II has always interested me, and I'm hoping to find more about it:

"King Amenhotep II boasted that he pierced the middle of a thick brass target with four arrows"

Something tells me that some fine bows and highly skilled bowyers were present back then?

[PatM]

The ancient account of King Amenhotep II has always interested me, and I'm hoping to find more about it:

"King Amenhotep II boasted that he pierced the middle of a thick brass target with four arrows"

Something tells me that some fine bows and highly skilled bowyers were present back then?

 Something  else tells me that guys like that suffered from Kim Jong syndrome more often than not.   Their subjects knew the right things to say.

[ibex]

I have to agree with you Pat. Would have certainly been a time of trepidation to be subject to him as a bowyer. I would not  want to be the one to build him the bow that broke while he was shooting at that brass plate of his.

[bassman]

trepidation sounds like he was a bad man.