History of the Bow and Arrow: Ancient Artifacts

The invention of bows and arrows is a symbol of the development of prehistoric human wisdom, and it became the most effective hunting and fishing tool at that time, and it was also one of the longest-used primitive hunting tools

From the previous article "A Brief Talk on the History of Bows and Arrows - Myths", we can see that early humans highly respected bows and arrows. This great invention played an important role in the development of human society, ensuring that early humans obtained more meat and resisted the invasion of foreign enemies and beasts, providing material conditions for the evolution of human physique and the increase of brain capacity, and also accelerating human migration and mobility. In a sense, the invention and use of bows and arrows accelerated the progress of human civilization.

Obtaining meat is a very important need for prehistoric humans, and it plays a very important role in reproduction and physical evolution. Anthropologist Richard Leakey said in "The Origin of Man": "By making bows and arrows and improving hunting tools, we can not only expand the range of foraging, but also increase the chances of successfully giving birth to offspring." Brain development and brain volume increase need to be achieved by increasing energy supply. Meat is a concentrated source of calories, protein and fat. Only by increasing the proportion of meat in food can early humans develop a brain volume that exceeds that of Australopithecus，

Therefore, the solution to the meat problem is closely related to the improvement of hunting tools and hunting methods. In order to make up for the lack of speed in the process of hunting, early humans invented high-speed weapons that surpassed the speed of animals, namely bows and arrows, stone balls and javelins. Among them, bows and arrows are the most powerful, forming a relatively stable shooting trajectory. Whether in terms of accuracy, performance, killing range, or killing frequency, they are stronger than other cold weapons. They can shoot animals from tens or hundreds of meters away, and can also prevent hunters from being discovered by animals. It can also reduce the probability of counterattack by injured animals, reducing the risk of human hunting. Through bows and arrows, humans have effectively changed their position in nature with their wisdom. Therefore, some scholars compare the invention of bows and arrows to "a sign of the advanced stage of the ignorant age" and a sign of the maturity of humans in the Paleolithic Age.

Most primitive bows are made of wood, with strings made of leather or hemp, and arrow shafts made of wood. In the middle and late Paleolithic period, bows and arrows were made more sophisticated. Arrows come in different shapes and materials, including stone, bone or horn. Bows and arrows, as the most complex production tool at the time, were widely used in hunting activities, gradually making hunting the most effective production method, capable of capturing and shooting all kinds of prey at high speed, long distance and precision. A large number of fish bones were unearthed in the Hemudu site, but no hooks, forks or nets for fishing were found. Instead, many stone and bone arrowheads were unearthed, which shows that ancient humans not only used bows and arrows to shoot wild beasts and birds, but also could use bows and arrows to fish. Darwin clearly put forward the view in his book The Origin of Man: "Hunting with man-made weapons is one of the factors that make humans truly human." If any weapon and tool is an extension of the human hand, then the bow and arrow can be regarded as the greatest extension of the human hand before the birth of firearms.