Expert: Maria - 6/11/2009

Question
Hi there,
I am trying to find out about greek archers (not skythians or cretans) say acarnians. Did they shoot the short bow? Did they pinch the string (with thumb and second finger) and fore finger on the string? Did they pull back to the ear or to the chest? Would they prefer slinging or archery? Why was greek archery so disregarded?

Answer
Hi,

First of all  this question is obviously related to military history which is not my specific field of expertise, of course!

Therefore what I can tell you is that:

-ancient Greek archers pinched the bowstring between thumb and forefinger, so that such a  weak grip did not allow them to use the most powerful bows.

-the Greek  archers, who were almost always foot soldiers, were generally armed with a bow and arrows and did not wear armour. Mounted archers in fact were rarely used by the Greeks until the time of Alexander the Great (4th.century BC), at least, and moreover the Greeks never used archers as a main element of their forces.

-detachments of archers in Greek armies in fact were often mercenaries, usually Scythians or Cretans.


Anyway, for more information on this matter  you can see :

-The Place of Archery in Greek Warfare by Thomas Nelson Winter at:
http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1008&context=classicsf...

-Greek and Roman Archery at:
http://www.archerylibrary.com/books/book_of_archery/chapter12/chapter12.html

Bye,
Maria
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