The bow has been used throughout history by virtually every culture. Simple bows were generally constructed of a single type
and piece of wood. The shape of the bow back itself varied from culture to culture and lent different elastic properties to the
weapon. The materials used in construction of the bow string varied, but the most common ones were flax, hemp, silk, cotton,
and sinew (a combination of two or more of these was common). By bending the bow and attaching the bowstring to either end of
the bow, the archer placed tension on the back. Nocking an arrow and drawing the string back placed greater tension on the bow.
Releasing the arrow also released the tension energy built up in the bow and propelled the arrow farther and with greater force
than it could be thrown. Thus, warfare could be conducted at greater ranges with more devastating
results to the opponent unable to fire arrows back.
Interesting note: The phrase “to draw a bead on someone,” meaning to take aim at them, derived from archers during medieval
Europe. The Longbow string had a bead attached to its center where the arrow should be nocked. By “drawing the bead” back, the
archer prepared to shoot at a target.