Bret Archer

Hey Everyone

A round of thanks goes out to JQ who gave us the last few posts on pics of our warhammer miniatures, and gave us some points to ponder about the hobby we share.

Man has not been without his weapons, and this time we are featuring another shot of JQ's bret bowmen:

The humble bow in history was a very simple weapon that was deployed over the ages, spawning variants such as the crossbow and compound bows. So one has to wonder, did early men just make bows out of wooden splints and strings? Well, historians believe that darts predated bows, and the atlatl, a primitive dart thrower, was the predecessor of the bow we know. It is a shaft with a cup at the end, and launches darts (which were actually long arrows or spears) by flinging the atlatl with the spear in it as shown in the next pic (www.texasbeyondhistory.net):

The atlatl is still used in Australia by the aborigines, and in sporting events across the globe.

When the bow was invented, it eventually replaced the atlatl with many advantages it brought to its users, such as higher accuracy and the use of elastic energy to generate higher velocity shots. Of course, firearms also eventually replaced the bow in later times. Although mankind continues to create weapons of increasing potency, let's not forget the honor and prestige that surrounded people who were skilled in the bow and masters of past battlegrounds, as evidenced in numerous mythological figures being associated with the bow...eg. William Tell and Artemis.

(of course that doesn't count when we curse our luck that st3 shots barely made a dink in your enemy's advancing army)