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Main Boards => The Bowyer's Bench => Topic started by: Buemaker on April 26, 2022, 10:32:49 AM

Title: 1500 year old arrow.
Post by: Buemaker on April 26, 2022, 10:32:49 AM

In the Norwegian mountains ice patches have been melting in the last years and a large amount of stuff have been found. Take a look at this 1500 year old arrow which have been preserved in the ice. Sinew wrapped point, barrelshaped shaft, a bit of feather with traces of wrapping.

Title: Re: 1500 year old arrow.
Post by: Jack Denbow on April 26, 2022, 02:09:06 PM

That is very cool Bue. As I get older, I like old stuff more.
Thanks for sharing.
Jack

Title: Re: 1500 year old arrow.
Post by: Roy from Pa on April 26, 2022, 04:10:12 PM

Awesome, Bue

Title: Re: 1500 year old arrow.
Post by: KenH on April 26, 2022, 10:38:13 PM

Any dimensions, Bue?  I am interested to see such long and apparently low fletching --similar to many Asian arrows.. 

Title: Re: 1500 year old arrow.
Post by: George Tsoukalas on April 29, 2022, 09:40:28 AM

That's incredible! Jawge

Title: Re: 1500 year old arrow.
Post by: Buemaker on April 29, 2022, 03:11:14 PM

Here is another about same age. All arrows found from that time is barreled shaped.

Title: Re: 1500 year old arrow.
Post by: Bow Bender on April 30, 2022, 04:44:48 PM

Has the species of wood used for the shafts been identified?
What would the hunter have been shooting at back in those days?

Title: Re: 1500 year old arrow.
Post by: KenH on April 30, 2022, 10:44:08 PM

Shooting at with those arrows?  People, Bear (brown and polar), Wolves, Lynx, Deer (including elk and reindeer), Wild Boar, Musk Ox.   

Title: Re: 1500 year old arrow.
Post by: Buemaker on May 01, 2022, 05:26:23 PM

I do not have the measurements for the arrows in the pictures, but most of the shafts found this way are Birch and Pine. Average lenght 28 inches, thickness in the middle about 9 mm tapering towards both ends with a slight flared nock end. Some have a bulbous nock end.

Title: Re: 1500 year old arrow.
Post by: kennym on May 01, 2022, 06:00:05 PM

""Some have a bulbous nock end."" 

Do you think they pinched the nock with  those to shoot?

Title: Re: 1500 year old arrow.
Post by: Buemaker on May 01, 2022, 06:35:16 PM

We do not know if they pinched the nocks . Must have been a lot of work just to make one shaft. First cleave it out of a log and then take it down to finished size. The Reindeer have traveled the same paths for thousands of years and we have found built up rock «walls» close to these paths where the hunters could hide behind. So we can see that shooting distances have been short 10-15 meters. We have also found a lot of«scaring sticks» thin sliced wood sticks that were tied to poles in rows. They would lead the Reindeer  towards the hidden hunters.