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Hazel longbow
Chumash:
@ jameswoodmot
I think, you are right with your feeling.
In Italy near Rom was found a neolithic settlement.
The settlement was discovered almost 40 years ago. Among other things, more than 30 bows were found. 19 have been properly examined in recent years—with a very interesting result:
Surprising variety of wood
By analyzing the archaeological finds, the researchers were able to identify six different types of wood. The most common wood was hornbeam, which was found in nine bows, followed by woolly snowball with six specimens. Individual bows were made from alder, dogwood, ash, and evergreen oak.
This is remarkable because previous research on Neolithic bows in Europe showed a clear dominance of yew. The study suggests that bow production followed a practical approach. People flexibly used what the surrounding Mediterranean mixed forest had to offer, rather than following a specialized or restrictive choice of materials.
Written in:
„Archery technology in the Neolithic: Management of the Mediterranean mixed forest and woodworking activities at La Marmotta (Italy)“ (Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2026)
jameswoodmot:
--- Quote from: Chumash on March 08, 2026, 05:44:32 am ---@ jameswoodmot
I think, you are right with your feeling.
In Italy near Rom was found a neolithic settlement.
The settlement was discovered almost 40 years ago. Among other things, more than 30 bows were found. 19 have been properly examined in recent years—with a very interesting result:
Surprising variety of wood
By analyzing the archaeological finds, the researchers were able to identify six different types of wood. The most common wood was hornbeam, which was found in nine bows, followed by woolly snowball with six specimens. Individual bows were made from alder, dogwood, ash, and evergreen oak.
This is remarkable because previous research on Neolithic bows in Europe showed a clear dominance of yew. The study suggests that bow production followed a practical approach. People flexibly used what the surrounding Mediterranean mixed forest had to offer, rather than following a specialized or restrictive choice of materials.
Written in:
„Archery technology in the Neolithic: Management of the Mediterranean mixed forest and woodworking activities at La Marmotta (Italy)“ (Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2026)
--- End quote ---
That’s a great article and has lead me to find several more that I was unaware of including one about phragmites reed composite arrows which is incredible
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-77224-w
Do you know if there are any more photos of the bows found in Italy? Some of the dimensions seem unlikely for bows, three are so short and thick I can’t see them working even for a small fishing bow
20x13mm at the tip, 32x25 in the middle and 20x18 at the other tip and 825mm long just doesn’t seem likely and there are three other bows there of similar dimensions. Very roughly 3/4x1/2 tip, 1 1/4”x 1” middle and 3/4x 11/16 and 32 1/2” long which seems implausible
Medicinewhee, yeah that’s exactly what I have read this morning, I assume the advent of farming in the area was also brought about by the warming climate
Robert Pougnier:
That's a sweet looking bow with a nice profile!
Pappy:
Beautiful bow, very well done. :)
Pappy
GlisGlis:
I made 2 hazel bows but I had to use hazel for basket weaving to appreciate how much different hazels can be based on soil and sun exposition.
Usually a dark bark with silver like reflections combined with a position under heavy shadeing canopy is a good indicator of dense layers and good bow wood quality
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