Oldest Known Bow Recreated by Professional Bowyer
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.ย. 2024
- The Holmegaard bow is the oldest complete bow ever found; dating to roughly 7,000 BC (Mesolithic Period - Middle Stone Age). It was found alongside several other bows recovered from a bog in Denmark in 1963.
The Holmegaard bow is frequently mistaken for and/or used interchangeably with the Mollegabet artifact, but they're quite different. The Holmegaard is a fairly straightforward flatbow with a time-tested, pyramid-like limb profile. The Mollegabet, on the other hand, is kept wide for approximately 60% of its limbs before abruptly tapering to unusually narrow, rigid levers.
The design was trusted by the ancient hunter-gatherers; and remains in widespread use today. A well made Holmegaard is a solid hunting bow, with excellent durability and a quick, smooth cast. If you've never built one, I encourage you to give it a try. If you have, let me know your thoughts on Holmegaard bows in the comments below!
Instagram: @organic.archer
Website: www.organicarchery.com
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Love this. If you're still doing giveaways, I would be honored to receive this bow.
Unfortunately I've had to discontinue the giveaways because no one is claiming their prizes! Even after multiple redraws, only one bow has made it to its new owner; and only because I happened to know how to reach him!
Edit : I've posted a more detailed update in my Community section and will announce it in a video very soon!
@@organicarchery Do you sell bows ?.
@@uncletiggermclaren7592yes. Reach out to me at the email on my website (link in profile homepage) and let me know what you have in mind. I specialize in historical reproductions and can do many all wood designs from many time periods.
The originals was most likely made from green sapling with flint tools.
@@organicarchery Wait you were doing prize draws for these and people weren't claiming them? That has totally blown my mind. I would be biting off limbs to claim one!
I'm an Achaeologist myself and the Study of prehistory had originally inspired me to start building bows myself... but I've never managed to build one of the Holmegaard or Mollegabet style bows. You've just inspired me to give it a try!
Many of the step-by-step bow building tutorials online can help you produce a good Holmegaard bow, since it's got a profile fairly similar to the common "pyramid bow".
Using modern tools or flint and bone tools? That’s the impressive part to me.
I'm obsessed with that mollegabet style. It just looks so awesome.
And of course, it's genius, engineered, fantastic.
But it's got such a unique design compared to the humble elnglish Longbow yew stick.
7:43
Chalk, was a very cool tip.
15:12
The permanent knocks, are jute twine?
Fascinating.
I kinda love that.
I have been building primitive bows for many years. This year I was faced with the challenge of building a Holmegaard bow to serve as a showpiece for a historical event. The bow was finished within 2 days and the first test shots were very satisfactory. This bow will be demonstrated at the presentation of a recently restored circular ditch with two ramparts in eastern Austria. I also made the arrows for it. They consist of barrelled shafts with flint tips and natural fletching made of whole feathers that were split and shaped with fire. I also made quivers in the Ötzi style. The entire set fits quite well into the desired time frame.
Nice work. Interesting. How did the event go?
@@freyatilly The event will take place next September. I still have time to make and test more bows & arrows :-)
Love it!
Whichever genius invented the bow, did he/she imagine a world where we have footprints on THE MOON but we're still using their invention? Brilliant, timeless.
He
@@johnfisher7143 We can be sure that if a woman invented the bow, or the wheel, or making friction fire a man took the credit!
The bow was invented multiple times independently throughout many separate regions in the world. If your neighbors had them and they were nice you could learn it from them.
Later some pastoral people got creative in bow making techniques and made upgraded composite bows.
@@asmith7876 There is a long list of female inventors going back to the antiquity.
Footprints on the moon, interspace phone call....the 60's and 70's tech was so much better.
I love the zip of the arrow passing by.
Your attention to detail speaks volumes even when you are silent !!
I really appreciate that! Thank you!
I've seen a few bow making videos, this is next level. That thing is ART, ought to hang in a museum! Whipping the ends for the string is something I haven't seen before and seems brilliant! Beautiful work.
Very much appreciated!
😅😅😅
Imagine using only stone and bone tools to make this.
Just got into Archery this year. Shot a ton as a kid. 27 Now.
Found a great local shop that helped me get started.
These videos are wonderful! Thank you!
Nice work mister Organic. Shot a recurve for 35 years. Bowhunted and target archery. Most traditional archers shoot constantly so as not to loose their keeness. It's a dying art. So is your craftsmanship. Your still a young man and I hope you continue for many years
I don't know why the algorithm brought me here to you but I'm glad it did. I just spend a few hours watching videos. It makes me want to find a local place to source wood. Super cool
That's a wonderful piece of craftsmanship from a long-gone age. It is a real delight to see you at work, recreating past skills that are shared with only a few similarly-skilled people today. No machinery, just hand-tools that might easily translate into those of the day when this original bow was made, by somebody a lot like you. Thank you for sharing.
Machinery dilutes the romance of the craft, in my opinion! Thank you for the support!
@@organicarchery Agreed. I build railroad cars, modelled on the Colorado three-footers, in 1/20.3 scale. Apart from the necessary hardware, the car-body is made from coffee stirrers and lolly sticks. Two gold medals and a silver tell me they look okay.
Hand tools that are orders of magnitude above what the ancient bowyer had. Plus I would think the bowyer had to make his own tools. NTL, really enjoyed the vid and especially impressed by the shooting skill.
Apart from your skills in bow making, it´s nice to see a clean well organized shop. Shout out from Mexico.
Creative energy flows better through a tidy shop. Feng Shui.
A neat workspace is the sign of a sick mind! Just teasing!
That's a beautiful bow mate,well done! Cheers from New Zealand!
I really like the “handle” tapering on this one. Thanks for sharing.
Great bow, made by a wonderful Bowyer. It is also fantastic that you made it as much alike to the ancient bow as you could. Congrats!! Dr. George Whitehead (shooting a bow for 70 years)
And to think they didn't have any modern tools like we have today!!
Saw a video of a guy which made a bronce axe with primitive tools, then used it to build a primitive bow just with wood and stone tools (took him months to dry the wood) and then used it with wooden arrows and stone heads and sinew to funt a deer...
The original Holmegaard Bows were made of elm that were the length of a man. This is known from several settlements of the Ertebølle period. Stone Age hunters used a thin elm trunk to make bows, as Yew had not yet begun to grow in Denmark. So the bows were shaped in such a way that the flexible sapwood was at the back and the harder heartwood was at the front or belly of the bow.
The remains of Europe’s oldest and best-preserved (five) bows, dating to around 7000 BC, were discovered at a Stone Age settlement at Holmegårds Mose on Zealand in Denmark.
Thank you. There is something deeply good, harmonius and healing about traditional crafts.
New to your channel. That was 19 minutes and 49 seconds of pure pleasure just watching your bow come to life. Great video.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I'm an viking reenactor and always have been interested in archery, but it has gotten nowhere because of several reasons. Love to see how bows are handmade and really like how this one turned out!
Sounds like you need a proper Viking bow!
That would be a very nice addition!
I really wish we had examples of older bows. It's pretty certain that bows are 60-70 thousand years old, and the shape of this bow reveals a pretty sophisticated design that is obviously the result of a lot of refinement. That makes sense as it is 53-63 thousand years after the development of bows.
I believe they're far older than we anticipate, too!
Homo Sapiens left the African continent first time 65.000 years ago. Other species were around the planet, Pygmie species and Neanderthals and more but I do not think anyone ever have documented bows from species earlier than Homo Sapiens. The largest brain size documented from any "human style species" have been Homo Sapiens and our brain development from apes came with 3 different periods of brain evolve/enlargement stages also affecting the skull. I am in no way insightful into bow history but I am not sure I find it plausible that Homo Sapiens should have invented the bow thousands of years before leaving African continent for the first time if going with your higher end estimate. There have been found cave drawings on at least 2 continents that have been interpreted as Homo Sapiens driving animals into cornered cliff edges and/or ravines to have them corned so close proximity injuries could be applied or they were killed by falling into their death. Had bows been invented at that time of plenty these animals could have been taken down as need for meat arose. Indicators like these tells me it were most unlikely bows were present. One could also wonder separately that we also know that the Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens had sex and reproduced, we have around 3% Neanderthal DNA in us even today because of it, and would it not have been a more likely outcome that they had died out long before if Humans had ability to hunt from the distance thus had less need for the Neanderthals "lesser brains/ more muscles" characteristics?
You could be right but I would say there are major indicators that point to that it are not so. Just my 5 cents. If you have some backed up facts from finds or circumstantial indicators indicating otherwise I would like to read and learn and develop my knowledge base.
@@organicarchery Really enjoyed this production, both video and bow. Please see my comment to earthknight60. If you have any suggestions of finds or circumstantial indicators that you can share to date the bow long back (as long as you believe you have indicators for) I would love to learn more. But read my 5 cents and comment if you like. As said my bow, and bow history insights are low. I just find the comments timeline unfounded based on my insights. I will happily adjust my beliefs if presented with anything plausible. No doubt the Holmegård bow are not a first generation bow but....there´s a long way from 7000 BC to pre leaving African continent for the first time.
@@Mike-zx1kx A few corrections. Neanderthals had larger brains than H. sapiens, and we don't know about Denisovans yet, but given some of the remains we have found it's likely they were on a par with Neanderthals size-wise.
For H. sapiens, 65,000 years ago was just the last major exodus from Africa. INcreasingly it's looking like H. sapiens we leaving Africa in decent numbers from around 120,000 years ago in waves separated by roughly 20,000 years, probably as a result of the cyclical nature of the Sahara being wet or dry.
The first hybridizing between early H. sapiens and Neanderthals was around 200,000-250,000 years ago, so there were at least some waves of H. sapiens leaving Africa even back then.
Pygmies are not different species of humans, they're fully within H. sapiens. They're just a result of local genetic changes that are not enough to result in them being a different species.
@@Mike-zx1kx Neanderthals had larger brains than Homo Sapiens.
Elegant, simple, effective, beautiful! Love the video and a beautiful bow!!
I used to shoot quite a bit when I was much younger. I always liked the primitive bows best.
Subscribed.
Dude that’s just what I have been working on for months ! Thank you I was running out of ideas and you inspired me .
Love to see ancient history recreated...with a modern spin. Beautiful bow!
Awesome video. This was the first one I watched. Thanks for explaining it so well especially being new to the art.
Practical archaeology - the best kind. Thank you
Just found this channel on my algorithm and this looks like hard work, but very therapeutic!
Its crazy to read that people werent claiming these beautiful bows! Awesome video and another great looking bow!
I couldn't believe it either! It's unfortunate, but it is what it is!
@@organicarchery Uh, well, if you have any left you can send them to ME! 😂😂😂. Gorgeous work!
Really admire your work; a wonderful bow. I'm a traditional archer who shoots an osage orange bow and I have respect for simple, effective bows like these.
Just finished binge watching all your videos and totally love the way you show how you build your bows. Thinking of getting into trying my hand a building my own bow in the very near future. It would be fantastic to have won one of your bows. Keep up the great work. Looking forward to future videos.
The diagram showing the bow profiles is in centimetres,but his tape is in inches and he marks in inches.Maybe it is easier as his wood is a 2 inch wide piece.Very nice workmanship.I will keep this video he shows every process very clearly.
That thing's a beaut! Thanks for putting these videos up : )
I've been wanting to make a self-backed bow like this for a while. The simpler the better I think. Very well done and thank you for sharing!
Agreed! Glued backings complicate things!
Wow, don't know a thing about Bows, but found this interesting and oddly inspiring, thank you.
Love this style of video! Keep them coming. You should get a chronograph and sling some arrows through it with the finished bows.
I got the chance to shoot my personal 53# Holmegaard through a chrono recently. It averaged 165 fps with a 580 grain arrow. In my opinion, that's a good speed for a hunting bow with a heavy arrow and heavy string!
I truly appreciate and love the craftsmanship in these kind of videos. One thing all these videos alway miss on, is making a period accurate string. The strings in all these kind of videos are always a modern string. I wish someone would make an ACTUAL period accurate bow AND string video sometime... Please consider it if you haven't already 🙏
Thank you very much, I've not seen wrapped nocks before. Beautiful. Greetings from England.
Makes you wonder what all the fuss is about osage when a whitewood bow shoots like that. Awesome!!
Osage is great, but there's just something special about a clean whitewood stave! Really opens up the design options.
I saw an old Ben Pearson bow made of hickory. Didn't get to shoot it, gentleman had it as a wall decoration.
Another good looking bow, and a great shooter! 🤙🏼
Your vows are sick my man. Beautiful. They also shoot crazy well it looks like😮💨
A wonderful, thoughtful video. Superb craftsmanship. We had a stand of Elms in the fifties. The saplings would bend but would not break.The outer bark had a thin, styrofoam feel.Even as a child I knew those Kentucky trees were special.Thank you.
Simple modern tools, I wonder how they created these 10,000 years ago? I would be fascinated to see those tools, Great learning lesson. I couldn't replicate it but I am glad you shared this build with the world. The shot grouping, excellent!
The technique of making a bow hasn't changed. Take away any wood that isn't a bow; then scrape the stiff areas until the bend is even. It was just much slower with stone tools.
Parabolic laser reflecting mirror on the moon amongst the footprints, and a nice demonstration of the fundamental skills and intelligence needed to get there in the design, and techniques of building the Holmegaard bow. Great demo, Thx. I may try this one.
Fascinating to watch. I always enjoy watching skilled craftsmen at work. It does make you wonder how they built such a bow with only stone tools though.
What an incredible build. It required very little tillering.
It was looking pretty good out to about 20" right out the gate, but it took another half a day or so of fine tuning to get it to full draw.
Wow what a beautiful grain pattern, very nice bow awesome 😎
Would still like to see you make a Bhutan bow bro
You do great work. You keep the cleanest shop of any primitive builder I have seen too. My shop would be ankle deep in shavings😂
These videos are such a delight. Thank you for sharing
Nice build ,is this your day job or hobby? I really enjoy watching your special talent .I made a bow from hickory at the age of 10 years old and that started me on the path of bow hunting. I am 66 now and still love it.
I’m a full time bowyer and specialize in historical reproductions. We also run a bowmaking school that holds classes about once a month.
our ancestors could definitely put food on the table with that.
Outstanding work. Thanks for sharing.
Back to basics, beautiful work🥰 Thank You from Norway😌🙏
Very very impressive work. I recently started archery. I wish I had your skills at building bows.
Scribe your back once you've shaped the face! Why didn't I think of that. Scribe from one side only. I really learned something today. Thanks.
Bravo Sir!
One of the best bow making videos I've seen. I've never seen tip nocks like those before but I'm definitely going to try them on my next bow. HUGE thanks for the rich content.
I appreciate the support! Tied on nocks were quite common historically. They're relatively easy to make, remarkably durable, and simple to replace if one were to get damaged in rough country.
You have skills, for sure. Excellent work.
I can’t imagine doing this with just a couple sharp rocks.
Sweet recreation man! Elm is a super forgiving wood and very springy. However, very fibrous! I have found it can be easy to make mistakes if wood is not completely dry.
Agreed! It's really hit or miss around here. Sometimes the grain flows in nice lines like other whitewoods, and sometimes it's an interlocking mess. When it's all woven like that, it can be near impossible to drawknife! It's the bandsaw and rasps for those staves.
@@organicarchery I got one close with draw knife and then rasp and scrapers to finish out. Hackberry is my new love. Grows like a weed here in North Missouri.
Just discovered your channel and really enjoying it. I'm an avid archer and I think I'm getting to the stage where I want to start making self bows.
And here I thought the Otzi bow was the oldest. Fun stuff to learn about!
otzi bow doesnt date older to this?
@@farnorthhomested844 Ötzi is dated to about 3275 BC so that puts him about 5000 years past current day. Have a great day!
Love this - you did a great job recreating the Holmegaard bow!
All I can say. Please come to Minnesota and reteach the natives the skills. Heritage was stolen from them. You are keeping it alive. #Brave I hope you know your true place in this world, its wonderful to see and our area natives would love to see you work in a classroom. EDIT: Barred Owl flights on your practice arrows? Instant Sub
Wow. Wonder how they made it in stone age-days? Surely not with flintstones. This must have been a hell of a lot of work for these guys. Thanks for showing. Greetings from Germany, Chris
Simply fantastic! Your use of a draw knife could be a tutorial for anyone using a draw knife. Love it!
I'll have to do a "Bowyer's Bench" video on using the drawknife in the near future!
This is the most accurate replica I've seen on TH-cam . well done you've made a great job of it . That elm looks lovely when the stain was applied and it seems to shoot very fast 😊
@@kelvinsparks4651 very much appreciated!
good job, that is the best finish I've ever seen on the bow.
New to your channel and I love it! Had no idea of all the work that went in to a bow. Thanks!
Starting at 13:23. I imagine that sound was the last thing many of our ancestors ever heard.
This is exactly what I need done. And I've been working on this for a month now. Seeing this video feels 100% like deja vu
Very nicely done. String silencers would make that a stealthy bow indeed. Would like to hear it again with those installed if you get the notion. Thanks.
I like this style bow over the new compounds. More so if it's hand made. Nice job on this one
Great job, love this video, and love the bow, how it finsihed out for you, thumbs up.
your videos make me calm and restful.
Very cool ! Boy those Jute wrapped nocks scare me; Id be afraid the string loop would pop over them. Awesome job on another awesome bow you have made.
Wrapped nocks are incredibly durable and easily replaceable - although they don't need replaced unless they're accidentally damaged. Just make sure the bow string barely fits over the limb tips and it's as secure as any other method.
@@organicarcherydo you think wrapped nocks allow better performance as it means you can narrow the tips/last 6” more? Versus carved nocks that you have to keep a certain amount of meat on to work with?
@@gustohislop128 I certainly allows for very narrow tips that don’t have enough material for cut nocks. Most times, I don’t worry much about tip mass. I’d rather have a robust hunting bow that can take a beating than the extra 5 FPS from needle tips. Bows shoot just fine with up to 3/4” wide tips in my experience.
Fascinating what the ancients could achieve with limited equipment and simple tools. How long from start to finish did this take you? I'm curious how long you think it took for our ancestors to make a bow?
It took me three days from raw stave to the first coat of oil, but it wasn't the only project I was working on. Takes another 5 days or so to complete the sealing process at one coat of oil per day.
@@organicarchery Thank you for the answer, and the videos. So cool to watch.
captivating, from the build to your expertise shooting..
Always entertaining and informative. Thank you.
Very nice looking bow. Seems to shoot well also. I really like the jute string knocks...they seem so efficient without weakening the tips. Thanks for the video.
Wrapped nocks were fairly common on Prehistoric and Native American bows. They're remarkably durable and would be easily replaced if damaged. If a cut-in nock is damaged, the only option is to pike the bow and carve a new nock!
Recreation well done. Luner rings result in one-of-a-kind look. Ancients understand efficiency of pyramid profile.
It's a well-rounded design that's still effective today!
Well, didn't read the first part in the intro, but guessed elm. Never thought of that as a bow wood. I know the windsor chair makers liked elm seats because of interlocking grain and a strong resistance to splitting. Thanks!
Excellent work! That elm has some beautiful grain once its stained.
This is an awesome video, I enjoyed every bit of it, and it was the first video for this channel I've seen looking forward to watching all the others :)
Welcome aboard and thank you for the support!
The sound of a arrow in flight is amazing!!
Cool thing, I really liked the notches :D
Awesome work. On the Hadza bows they also don't have nocks for the strings, the bottom is attached with some kind of bowyer knot and the top is attached with what looks like a backserving leaving alot of string on the bow. The traditional material was the neck tendons from a giraffe so it makes sense you wouldn't want to cut it to length, in their case the bows seem more disposable than the string.
@@townwitchdoctor5538 I’ve got an authentic Hadza bow with a giraffe string on my bow rack, and it’s just as you describe! It’s a really cool setup. I have some friends who spend time with them every year, and can confirm they consider bows to be disposable. They whip one up in 2-3 hours, string it up after establishing a taper (no tillering), and shoot until it breaks. Could be soon… could be years later.
Beautiful and well crafted bow.
You know this is going to be a great video, and a great bow, when at (1:14) he cuts off the first tip of wood, and holds it for a second and then lovingly tosses it aside. Also when you see that he sharpens his pencil with his pocket knife. This man is a fine craftsman and an artist. I have been shooting the long bow for 70 years, and totally respect this man. Doctor George Whitehead
Very much appreciated, Dr. George. Thank you for the encouraging words and support!
Simply amazing! I have always wanted to practice archery.
That is beautiful!! So much character in the wood. Excellent work sir!
Been shooting bows for many years. So cool this is such an ancient design and a bog had preserved history! Mostly shot recurves and compounds for years, but currently shooting a longbow. They are slower than recurve bows, BUT way quieter. More forgiving on release I think as well. Heavier arrows more forgiving for release also. Heavy arrows and string silencers help with bow noise and rounded feathers are quieter than fletching with sharp corners. Thanks for sharing. Finished bow looked and shot great!
I agree with all points!
The oldest archaeological find that can be described as a bow comes from Mannheim from the early Magdalenian period (around 18,000 to 12,000 BC). The approx. 40 cm long section of a pinewood stick was dated to around 16,000 years BC. Although this bow is not complete, it is still several years older.
True! There have also been stone arrowheads recovered from layers of dirt that reflect approx 70,000+ years ago. Archery is much older than we anticipate, but I can't recreate bows from fragments!
Amazing piece of lethal art work! When you let fly the first arrow I was very impressed just to put it mildly!
I love watching a master work. Then to see the work do its job perfectly. Thanks.
Man, i dont know what makes your arrows sound so good when they fly by, but holy cow does it sound good. Really nice work. It obviously shoots well on top of looking awesome
Shoots as good as it looks is the mantra for every bow! :)
you can tell this guy's pleased with all the thumbs ups he keeps giving himself
Thank You Cory... Very nice, exceptional bow! Always find it educational to watch when you get focused on your design... TM
In my early teens I made a bow from a stave cut from a privet hedge... It had a natural grip where the stave I cust had grown pressed against aonther part of the privet... just used ordinary string as the bowstring and lengths of dowel as the arrows with carboard flights glued on... the bowstring and flights needed frequent replacement... not particulary accurate (as you'd expect) but would launch arrows well over a 100m... Friend of mine made one at the same time... Crudely made and shaped (everyone had a pen knife of jack knife in those days. We had a lot of fun that summer.
So interesting and relaxing to watch, ASMR is great too.
Please keep these vids coming.
Gorgeous work. Really impressive. Next stop, recurve bow and a chariot!
nice lob and great shooting .i got into flint knapping years ago then it led into makeing bows and atlatals. cane arrows with arrowheads i made . then i just quit fooling with it. but you just made me want to do it again .brought back memories thank you.
Great build, well done!!