ON DRAWING THE BOW - Anthropology in the News

ON DRAWING THE BOW

SHELLEY WACHSMANN

Institute of Nautical Archaeology at Texas A&M University, College Station

Through the ages archers have developed a number weakest of all the draws as it depends solely on
ofmethods for drawing the bow. Edward S. Morse the friction sustained by the relatively weak finger
(1885; 1922), who pioneered ethnological research muscles and is, therefore, used exclusively with
on this subject, developed a system that, while it weak bows.
could be expanded upon, does cover all the known
ways to draw the bow (Wissler 1926; Kroeber Secondary draw: This takes the Primary draw and
1926: 283; Grimley 1958: 51; Yadin 1963: 9; adds to it the distal falanges ofthe middle and ring
Bowles 1971). Although Morse termed these forms fingers to draw upon the bowstring itself (Fig.
ofhandling the bow releases, Elmer (1926: 22-23) 1: C-D). It is the only draw in which traction is
rightly notes that the act is more correctly defined placed on both the arrow and the string (Kroeber
as one of pulling, or drawing, the bow, and that is 1927: 284). Morse considers this draw a natural
the term used here. evolution of the Primary draw and, similarly, the
arrow can pass to the right or left of a vertically
The classification of draws takes on a par- held bow.
ticular significance for Egyptological and Near
Eastern studies as many ancient monuments are Tertiary draw: In this draw no traction is placed
sufficiently detailed to permit the identification on the arrow, which is held in place by pressure on
of the draws used by the archers they depict. This its nock by the distal phalanx of the thumb guided
tribute to Ephraim Stem gives an overview of the on the right by the index finger. The bowstring
typology of draws and discusses a selection-by is drawn by the index and middle fingers, and in
no means complete-of draws depicted in ancient some variations also by the ring-or the ring and
Near Eastern and Egyptian art.! the little-fingers (Fig. 1: E-F). Due to the pressure
placed on the arrow by the thumb during the draw,
Draws the arrow must pass to the left ofthe bow irrespec-
tive of its position relative to the ground.
Morse defined five basic ways to draw the bow:
Primary, Secondary, Tertiary, Mediterranean and Mediterranean draw: Morse (1885: 12; 1922: 4-5)
Mongolian: 2 termed his fourth draw Mediterranean because he
felt that it had been in common use among cultures
Primary draw: Here the arrow is placed on the that surrounded that sea: in truth it is limited pri-
bowstring and its nock is pinched between the marily to its European shores (Wissler 1926: 35,
thumb and the distal and central phalanges of the Fig. 17; 39, Fig. 19; Kroeber 1927: 287).
index finger (Fig. 1: A-B). The arrow can pass to
the right or left of the bow assuming that it is held In this draw, the thumb normally plays no part.
vertically. In this draw, also assuming the bow is Instead, the tips ofthe index and middle-or index,
vertical, the palm must face downward. This is the middle and ring-fingers pull the bowstring (Fig.

238*

ON DRAWING THE BOW 239*

1: G-H). The index and middle fingers bracket the A protective device, usually in the form of
arrow and hold it lightly against the bowstring. a ring, is often worn on the thumb to shield it
The draw has several variants (Morse 1885: 13-14; from the concentrated pressure of the bowstring
Elmer 1926: 220; Faris and Elmer 1945: 43,45). as well as to allow for a smoother release. These
thumb-protectors come in several types. The most
Mongolian draw: This draw is unique in pulling common are a cylindrical ring either rounded
the bowstring with the thumb locked in place by or with polygonal edges used by the Chinese; a
the index finger (Fig. 1: I-J). The arrow is held in ring with a visor-like projection that fits over the
the web between the thumb and index finger. To thumb's distal phalanx common throughout Asia,
release the arrow, the locking finger is slipped off while the Japanese employ a glove that protects
the thumb. As the manner in which the arrow is the thumb, index and middle fingers (Von Luschan
held forces its distal end to the right, the arrow is 1891; 1922; Morse 1922: 34-43, PIs. I-V; Kroeber
normally placed against the bow's right side.3 With 1927: 288; Grayson 1977).
but few exceptions, the middle, ring and small fin-
gers are not used and are normally curled out of An invaluable source for the different possible
the way. effective variants of the Mongolian draw is a 353-
page manuscript, entitled A Book on the Excellence
~ Primary Draw B ofthe Bow andArrow and the Description Thereof
A written in the fifteenth century by a knowledgeable
anonymous Arab Moslem archer (Faris and Elmer
~ ~Secondary Draw 1945). This gives a comprehensive discussion of
CD all aspects ofcontemporaneous archery among the
Arabs. As their armies were the direct successors
Tertiary Draw F ofancient Near Eastern composite bow archers, the
E discussion is one rich and valuable for explaining
earlier use of the composite bow. The author of
Mediterranean Draw H The Excellence ofthe Bow describes draws based
on an Arabic sign language for expressing num-
G bers (Faris and Elmer 1945: 19-23). He defines in
this manner six draws that the archery experts of
*~MOngOlian his day considered acceptable: sixty-three, sixty-
Draw nine, seventy-three, eighty-three, twenty-four and
seventy-two, all of which are variations of the
IT Mongolian draw (Fig. 2). Pope (1918: 119-121)
recorded a remarkable form of Mongolian draw
Fig. 1. Morse's five draws (after Morse 1885: p. 6, Figs. used by the last Californian Yana Indian, Ishi (Fig.
1-2; p. 8, Figs. 4-5; p. 10, Figs. 6-7; p. 13, Figs. 8-9; 3).4 Ishi's draw is unique in locking the thumb
p. 16, Figs. 11-12) with the middle finger and representing the only
known independent invention of a Mongolian
draw.

Strength ofdraws: In controlled experiments Pope
(1918: 120-121), an experienced archer, tested the
maximum draw (pull) possible with each of the
draws using a spring scale. He found the maximum
weight that he could pull with a Primary draw was
25 pounds, although by using arrows with thick-
ened nocks he could pull 35 pounds. A Secondary
draw allowed a pull of 40 pounds, while he could

240* SHELLEY WACHSMANN

draw 60 pounds with the Tertiary, and 80 pounds
with the Mediterranean draw. With a Mongolian
draw Pope could pull only a 45-pounds bow with-
out a device to protect the thumb but 55 wearing a
Japanese shooting glove. Pope remained convinced
that the Mediterranean was the strongest draw.
Kroeber (1927: 284 fn. 4) notes, however, that
Pope had learned to shoot with the Mediterranean
draw, and it is likely that with increased practice
he may have been able to draw heavier bows with
the other draws, most notably the Mongolian
draw.

Fig. 2. The six acceptable fonns of the Mongolian draw Draws in Ancient Iconography
as described by the author of The Excellence ofthe Bow
When studying ancient representations it is imper-
(from Faris and Elmer 1945, p. 44) ative to keep in mind that we are not seeing the
draws themselves, but rather representations of
Fig. 3. The modified fonn of the Mongolian draw used by them as seen and interpreted through the cul-
Ishi, the Yana Indian (from Pope 1918, p. 120) ture, mind and hand of the artist. We must evalu-
ate these scenes of archery, bowmen and their
draws through the lenses of aspective art styles,
the inherent conventions of those styles, as well
as the skill and attention-or lack thereof-of
the artists who created them. While some depic-
tions of draws are unequivocal, many are not.
Interpreting them, therefore, by simply comparing
them to modem perspective representations, be
they photographs or drawings, may easily result in
error. 5

We must impart to these images simple common
sense. Is the bow weak or powerful, simple or com-
posite? Was the draw deep or shallow? Is the draw
represented solely with a specific type of bow?
And, finally, and most basically, does the interpre-
tation make sense within the physical context of
drawing an actual bow?

Artists could, and more importantly did, make
mistakes. This could be as mundane as erring
in depicting the location where the bowstring
leaves the drawing hand. For example, a group of
Assyrian archers in Sennacherib's famous scene
of the siege of Lachish use composite bows and
draw to the shoulder (Fig. 4). Two of the archers
use a two-fingered "Flemish" Mediterranean draw
(Fig. 4: A, C, D). In one ofthese cases the specific
draw is emphasized by separating the middle and
ring fingers (Fig. 4: C). A third archer, however,

ON DRAWING THE BOW 241*

A4 3 2 1

D (4) C (2) B (1)

Fig. 4. A) Sennacherib ' s archers attacking Lach.ish face the viewer' s right using the Mediterranean draw. C- D) Typical two-
fingered Mediterranean draw, also known as a "Flemish draw;" B) Note how all four of the archer's fingers lie on this string.
This also may be a two-fingered draw, with the bowstring coming out from under the archer's small finger due to an artist's

error. Alternately, but less likely, it may represent a four-fingered Mediterranean draw (from Paterson 1915 : PI. 68)

has the bowstring exiting his drawing hand from self(simple) bows "riding shotgun" on camels turn
beneath his little finger (Fig. 4: B). In such a case to deliver Parthian shots to their pursuers (Rausing
we can easily avoid the temptation to identify this 1967: 87- 88). Their draws are shallow- barely to
as a Tertiary or four-fingered Mediterranean draw the elbow (Figs. 5: B, 6). In one case an archer
and conclude that the artist probably simply erred appears to have all four fingers on the string and we
in his placement of the bowstring. might interpret it as a variant of the Mediterranean
draw (Fig. 6). His colleague on another camel,
Alternately, if we are considering a specific however, uses what must be the artist's interpre-
culture using a unique draw with an unusual type tation of a Secondary or a Tertiary draw with the
of bow, then our conclusions might be different. thumb and index finger pinched together and the
Ashurbanipal's reliefs depict his troops hunting three remaining fingers on the bowstring (Fig. 5).
down Arab warriors (Fig. 5: A; Barnett 1960: 30 It seems likely that both of these represent the same
nos. 110, 112; 1976: PI. XXXIII; Yadin 1963: 450- draw.
451). In two cases Arab archers with asymmetrical

242* SHELLEY WACHSMANN

A

Fig. 5. A) An Arab archer on a camel takes a "Parthian B
shot" at his Assyrian attackers; he draws to the
viewer's right with an asymmetrical self bow (relief
from Ashurbanipal's northwest palace at Ninveh
[Kuyunjik]); B) Detail of the archer (from Barnett

1960, PI. 112)

ON DRAWING THE BOW 243*

Fig. 6. A second Arab archer on a camel takes a "Parthian types of draws. At the Middle Kingdom tombs of
shot" at his Assyrian attackers; he draws to the viewer's right Beni Hassan he identified the Mediterranean draw
with an asymmetrical self bow (relief from Ashurbanipal's (Figs. 7, 8: D-E). A more recent publication seems
northwest palace at Ninveh [Kuyunjik) ;from Barnett 1960, to support this (Fig. 9).

PI. 110) Prior to the New Kingdom, however, the draw
most frequently depicted is one in which the palm
Drawing the self bow in Egyptian art faces upward with the thumb outstretched and the
Morse (1885: 28-33), basing himself on early fingers held together and slightly curved upward
copyists, concluded that Egyptian art portrays a (Fig. 10). Morse (1885: 32) identifies this draw as
minimum of three, and possibly as many as four his Tertiary (Fig. 8: A-C). Wilkinson (and Birch
1878 [I]: 204) consider this draw to be "either with
the forefinger and thumb, or the two forefingers ... "
The draw used with self bows is usually repre-
sented as remarkably shallow, particularly when
compared with the deep draw portrayed with com-
posite bows (Fig. 11: A).

A fragmentary scene of grouped archers found
in the core of Amenembet 1's pyramid at Lisht,
dates to the early 5th Dynasty (Fig. 12: A; Yadin
1963: 146; Goedicke 1971: 74-77). The thumb and
only three fingers are visible (Fig. 12: B). This is
presumably due to either the index or the small
finger of the drawing hand disappearing behind the
two arrows it holds. As in other depictions extra
arrows held in the drawing hand are clearly secured
by the ring and little fingers, we may presume that

:::d

\

Fig. 7. Egyptian archers using the Mediterranean draw according to Morse (after Morse 1885, p. 29, Fig. 31)

244* SHELLEY WACHSMANN

A

B

--- --- . .-..-.-----..........

Fig. 9. An archer in the tomb of Jnj-jtj.f appears ,to use a
two-fingered Mediterranean release; 11th Dynasty (after
Jaros-Deckert 1984: Falkart 3, register 3, sixth standing

figure from left)

c similarly here, the arrows are held by the little
finger (Figs. 10: B, 13: A-B, 15: A-B).
D
In the Lisht relief, the archers' last three fingers
E are curled concentrically. The thumb lies on the
Fig. 8. Egyptian draws collected by Morse (after Morse string. Simply put, it would be impossible to draw
a vertical bow in this manner. Morse (1885: 31-32),
1885, p. 32, Figs. 35-37; p. 34, Figs. 40-41) in discussing similar scenes, suggests that the artist
is representing an archer holding the bow horizon-
tally, but due to the artist's inability to foreshorten
it he shows the bow upright, but the draw in the
correct position with the palm facing upwards (Fig.
8: A-C). Morse identifies this as his Tertiary draw,
and brings ethnological parallels to the use of this
draw with a bow held horizontally.

The nocked arrow appears in front ofthe middle
and ring fingers, but behind the index finger in
what appears to be, on the face of it, an impos-
sible configuration. Perhaps the artist portrays the
fingers in this manner to emphasize that the index

finger serves a somewhat different purpose than the

middle and ring fingers. Given this reservation, it
is difficult to identify this draw with any measure

ON DRAWING THE BOW 245*

A of certainty. If we are correct in assuming that the
thumb and all but the little finger are in some way
c involved in the draw here, then this must repre-
sent a variant of either a Secondary or a Tertiary
Fig. 10. Wilkinson describes draws used with se1fbows draw.
in Egyptian art (from Wilkinson and Birch 1878, pp. 204,
A remarkably animated scene from the tomb-
206[A]) chapel of Senbi, nomarch ofCusae, during the 12th
Dynasty portrays him hunting animals in a fenced
enclosure (Fig. 13: A; Blackman 1914: 80-81).
Senbi leans well forward with his left knee bent and
draws the bow with his thumb, index and middle
finger: his ring and little fingers wrap around three
extra arrows (Fig. 13: B). The only draw that fits
these criteria is the Tertiary. Some slight confirma-
tion ofthis conclusion is the consideration that the
arrow is shown passing to the left (far side) of the
bow (Fig. 13: C). Pope (1926: 104-108) describes
a match that he witnessed in Tanganyika among
Wassukuma tribe archers. An accompanying pho-
tograph shows an archer in a pose uncannily like
that of Senbi with the notable difference that he
uses a Mediterranean release and his left leg is
more bent (Fig. 14).

Another scene from the tomb of Senbi appar-
ently depicts what appears to be the same draw as
in Fig. 13: B perhaps rendered by a more conserva-
tive artist depicting a bow held horizontally (Fig.
15: A). In this case, however, the artist has placed
the drawing hand with the palm up, which allows
him to show the ring and little fingers holding the
extra arrows (Fig. 15: B). While this representation
is strained to the modem eye, the artist's inten-
tion is clear. Furthermore, he correctly displays the
extra arrows passing, as they must, between the
thumb and index/middle fingers.

Drawing the composite bow in Egyptian
art
It is generally accepted that the composite bow
arrived in Egypt with the Hyksos during the
Second Intermediate Period (McLeod 1958: 397 n.
5). With it migrated a remarkably different type of
draw, which appears clearly here for the first time,
although it, like the composite bow, must have had
a long gestation period in Asia prior to its arrival
in Africa.

The drawn composite bow is easily recognized
in iconography by its highly curved form when

246* SHELLEY WACHSMANN

A•

Fig. II. A) Min teaches Prince Amenhotep II the use ofthe composite and self bows (from the tomb of Min (T. 109) at Sheikh
Abd el Quma); B) An archer hunts ibexes with a composite bow on one of the Megiddo ivories (A from Wilkinson and Birch

1878 [I], p. 406 no. 176; B from Loud 1939: PI. 22, courtesy of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago)

B in the drawn state. In extreme cases, the bow and
string become an oval (Fig. 11 : B). This is the icon-
Fig. 12. A) Scene of a group of archers drawing self bows. ographic equivalent ofthe description ofPandarus'
From the core of Arnenemhet ]'S pyramid at Lisht; date: composite bow, being drawn almost into a circle
early 5th Dynasty; B) Detail of two archers' hands during (Iliad IV: 124; Balfour 1921: 302).
the draw (from Goedicke 1971 , p. 75, drawing by L. Foote)
Invariably with the composite bow the draw
is deep, with the drawing hand brought back to
the head and at times behind it. The latter draw
is indeed employed with the Japanese composite
bow (Pope 1965: 389 PI. 51). Such draws depicted
in ancient Near Eastern iconography are, how-
ever, undoubtedly exaggerated in order to allow
the artist to depict the drawing hand. This is clear
from a scene in the tomb of Min (Tomb 109) at
Sheikh Abd el Qurna in which he is instructing the
young Prince Amenhotep II in the use of self and
composite bows (Fig. l1 :A; Schafer 1931; Yadin
1963: 82, 201). Even though in the latter case the
prince's drawing hand is shown behind his head, in
the accompanying caption Min informs us (Davies
1935: 52):

ON DRAWING THE BOW 247*

D~·",QZ·?Q'",:iO)"',:o~. B
~D0~"0,"0'?~09~

,~D<2.e:::5'.e02'$:.0<2~

g'g-ua~~e"::b'l~e:d:'~l~1~

~o"'o"'o.~

t>..0G".tl~\.~0~~

I~tt)~PL~Q>(~Of"Q,~i~~)d~~

1~">,-i':)0"",:i0)'.:0z:'\i/

~6.<)XoXq

Ac

Fig. 13. A) Senbi draws a self bow in a knees-bent position employing a Secondary draw, with the middle and small fingers
holding three additional arrows (from the tomb of Senbi at Meir; date: 12th Dynasty); B) Detail of the drawi ng hand ;
C) Detail of the bow hand (from Blac kman 1914, PI. VII)

He (Min) gave (the lad) first rules of instruc-
tion in archery, saying, 'Stretch thy bow to thy
ear,6 use all the strength of thy arms, [fit] the
arrow .. . '

Min apparently taught his royal student well to
judge from this comment by the author of The
Excellence of the Bow (Faris and Elmer 1945:
51):

Drawing to the lobe of the ear is, likewise, an
ancient method of shooting and is very accu-
rate. There is not among the ancient methods
any which is more accurate or more deadly.

A right-handed archer will normally hold the bow
in the left hand and draw with the right. Min's
scene is somewhat unusual, although not unique,
in this regard in that the bows are being held in the
right hand while the bowstrings are drawn with

.... Fig. 14. A Wassukuma archer in Tanganyika draws with
knees bent using a Mediterranean draw while holding extra
arrows in his ri ght hand (from Pope 1926, PI. opp. p. 108)

248* SHELLEY WACHSMANN

B

A

Fig. 15. A) Archer drawing a self bow in the tomb of Senbi at Meir; date: 12th Dynasty; B) Detail
(from Blackman 1915, PI. VIII)

the left hand (Smith 1965, Fig. 13). In Egyptian approach. In the case of Seti I he equates it with
art, to sustain the essentially frontal representation the Mongolian draw (1885: 29-30; Fig. 18: A) Yet
so dominant in that art form, an archer facing the virtually identical renditions ofRamses II drawing
the bow he identifies as representing the Primary
viewer's left may have his right arm outstretched draw (Fig. 18: B-C).
to hold the bow while his left arm draws the bow-
string-but the right hand is attached to the left A process ofelimination can determine the true
arm and the left hand to th~ right arm (Fig. 16).
identification ofthis draw. Firstly, its arrangement
The draw used with the composite bow is
never portrayed in use with a self bow. Clearly could be interpreted as Primary, but to do so would
an Egyptian archery student would have learned be to ignore the fact that this wouldjuxtapose the
different draws for self and composite bows, as is most powerfol ofbows with the weakest ofdraws.
clear from Min's scene (Fig. 11: A). In this draw,
the arrow and the bowstring appear to be pinched As the middle, ring and little fingers are bent back
between the outstretched thumb and the bent index and clearly do not playa part in the action it cannot
finger. The palm faces downward. The middle, ring represent a Tertiary or Secondary draw. Finally,
and little fingers are curled concentrically inwards the configuration of the fingers-index clenched
behind the arrow and bowstring and play no part while the others trail behind the string-is at vari-
in the draw (Figs. 16-17). ance with the shape of the hand and fingers in the
Mediterranean draw.
This draw has received various identifications:
Wolf (1926: 87) considers it Tertiary; Bonnet (1926: This eliminates all draws but the Mongolian.
150-152) thought that it represented the Primary, Alternately, there are additional considerations to
but realizing that a bow of even moderate weight support this conclusion:
could not be drawn in this manner, he concludes
that it must represent the Mediterranean draw; • The thumb is consistently represented beneath
Lorimer (1950: 293~294 n. 1) argues that it rep- the arrow--exactly where it must be placed in
resents the Primary draw. Morse takes an unusual the Mongolian draw. The thumb is depicted as
extended straight instead of bent to lock the
bowstring. Displaying the thumb in its naturally
extended position is to be expected in aspective

ON DRAWING THE BOW 249*

B

A

Fig. 16. RamsesIlI fires arrows attheships ofthe Sea Peoples; facing the viewer's left he stands in afrontal pose; his right
arm holds the bow while he draws with his left; however, his hands have been switched atdreend~ ofhis arms so t1iathe
holds the bow with his left hand and draws with his right hand; Medinet Habu (from the Epigraphic Survey 1930, PI. 37)

Egyptian art, which strives to draw any given A protective device for the thumb is often used
item in the clearest and most universal manner
possible (Schafer 1974). with the Mongolian draw; r am not aware of any
• The index finger is clenched in the shape it takes
in locking the thumb. evidence for BronzelIronAge thumb rings found in
Egypt. Mark the following evidence; however:
• The palm'faees downwards in this draw. This is
• In later titnes the Mongolian draw clearly pen-
only true for the Primary and Mongolian draws. etratedandbecame established in the Sudan,pre-
• The entire arrangement of the hand-givell sumablyhaving reachetHhere via contact with
Egypt. Emery (1918: 233-248) was the first to
leeway for the Egyptian"maIiner of represent- identify rings found in,burials there-as "arrow
ing thethum1J:---replicates exactly the sixty-nine
form of. the Mongolian draw as described,by the Inlooses." tombs dating to the Meroitic period
author of The Excellence ofthe Bow (Fig. 2: 69).
Of it he writes (Faris and Elmer 1945: 43): (300 BCE to 350CE) at Khartoum two excavated
skeletons wore rings. on· their right thumbs
The strongest and most useful of these draws (Arkell'1949: 121-124 Fig, 10). In her study of
is the sixty-three, followed by the sixty- Meroitic archers1 rings; Hayes' (1913) defined
nine~ which though weaker, is supposed to 22 items of three chronologically well-defined
be'smoother and more accurate. It is weaker types of rings found in datable· contexts, which
because· it lacks the' clench.. Most arcliers use rangefrotn the 'sixth century BeE to the fifth cen-
these two draws. tury CEo Grayson (1963., 1977: 44)'notes that the
Mongolian'draw might have arrived in Sudan as'

250* SHELLEY WACHSMANN

B

Fig. 17. A) Ramses III draws his composite bow while facing the viewer's right; Medinet Habu;
B) Detail (from Epigraphic Survey 1930, PI. 9)

a result of interaction with Asiatic invaders, pos- do not use the bow and their rings are purely
sibly during the Persian conquest of Egypt. A decorative.
simpler explanation, however, might be that the
Mongolian draw reached the Sudan from Egypt Drawing the composite bow in Assyrian
itself. Perhaps this transfer took place during the Art
rule of the XXVth Kushite Dynasty in Egypt.
• Anthropologists note evidence ofthe Mongolian The many scenes ofwarfare and hunting inAssyrian
draw in Sub-Saharan Africa (Wissler 1926: 34-35 art provide a cornucopia of detailed depictions of
Fig. 17,38-39 Fig. 19; Kroeber 1927: 287 map, archers drawing their bows. Of particular interest
288; Ward 1968). are the depictions of draws used by archers oppos-
ing the Assyrian forces.
Thumb-rings worn by the men of the modem
Longarim tribe of Sudan during dances may be sur- Morse (1885: 23-28) was the first to observe
vivals of the Meroitic archers' rings (Kronenberg a curious phenomenon in Assyrian art: the draw
1962; Grayson 1977: 44). Today the Longarim depicted seems to be determined for the most part
by whether the archer aims to the viewer's right or
left (Fig. 19). Archers employ the Mediterranean

ON DRAWING THE BOW 251*

A
c

B

F

D Fig. 19. Assyrian draws identified by Morse (after Morse
1885,p. 24, Fig. 21;p. 25, Figs. 22-23;p. 26, Figs. 24-26;
Fig. 18. 19th Dynasty draws described by Morse (after
Morse 1885, p. 30, Figs. 32-33; p. 31, Fig. 34; p. 33, p. 27, Fig. 27)

Fig. 38)

252 * SHELLEY WACHSMANN

draw when facing left (Fig. 20). The draw when A
shooting to the viewer's right is identical to the one B
represented in Egyptian art with the composite bow,
identified above as the Mongolian draw (Fig. 19:
A- B, 21: A, 22). In it the index finger is clenched,
while the middle, ring and little fingers are held
concentrically together. The one notable difference
between Egyptian and Assyrian art forms of thi s
Mongolian draw is that in the former the thumb
is shown extended irrespective of the direction in
which the archer is shooting: in Assyrian art when
shooting to the viewer's right the thumb is not
portrayed.

In one case Tiglath-pileser Ill, although he shoots
to the viewer's left, uses a Mongolian draw (Fig.
23: A, C). Here we clearly see the king 's index
finger locking his thumb, and the three fingers not
used in the draw are swept backward. The overall
impression is strained, however, and it is clear that
Assyrian artists had trouble creating a standard for
representing a thumb-draw when the archer is seen
shooting to the viewer's left. This is presumably
the reason behind the phenomenon in Assyrian art
of normally depicting a Mediterranean draw when
the archer faces the viewer's left.

A similar Mongolian draw, although par-
tially hidden, appears in a justly famous scene of
Ashurbanipal hunting lions from his chariot in
which he draws to the viewer's left (Fig. 24: A).
His drawing hand is shown with the index finger
clenched above the arrow and the thumb extended
below it (Fig. 19: G, 24: C): the remaining fingers
are hidden .

Clearly the Assyrians were equally familiar
with, and proficient in, the Mediterranean and the
Mongolian draws. It is unlikely that artists would
depict an Assyrian king in the reliefs of his own
palace using both draws were this not the case (Fig.
21).

We have an interesting confirmation of the use
of the Mediterranean draw with the composite bow

Fig. 20. Assyrian arti sts tend to portray archers using vari- ~
ants of the Mediterranean draw when they shoot to the
viewer's left. A) Assyrian archer facing left using a three-
fi ngered Mediterranean Draw; B) Assyria n archer facing
left usi ng a two-fingered "Flemish" Mediterranean draw

(from Barnett 1960: 12, PIs. 12, 40)

ON DRAWING THE BOW 253 *

AB

Fig. 21. A) Assurnasirpal facing the right uses a Mongolian draw; B) When facing the viewer's left, Assurnasirpal dis-
patches a lion using a three-fingered Mediterranean draw (from Barnett 1960, PIs. 10 & 26)

Fig. 22. Assyrian horse archer, shooting to the viewer's
right, uses the Mongolian draw (from Barnett 1960,
PI. 120)

Fig. 23. A) Tiglat-Pileser III shoots at a city during a siege; ~ B c
he faces the viewer's left; B) Detail of the bow hand ; C)
Detai I of the drawing hand (from Barnett 1962, PI. LII, ©

Copyright the Trustees of the British Museum)

254* SHELLEY WACHSMANN

A B

Fig. 24. Ashurbanipal hunts lions . Here he draws his bow to the viewer's left. c
The arrow passes to the left (near side) of the bow and his ann guard also
protects his index finger. His drawing hand, partially visible, shows a clenched
index finger and a straight thumb, similar to the draw used by Tiglat-Pileser III
in Fig. 23. In this case the middle, ring and small fingers are hidden behind the

king's shou lder (from Barnett 1960: PI. 63)

in the Iron Age Near East. Von Luschan (1898)
published a fascinating Neo-Hittite orthostat from
Zinjirli depicting an archer carrying an angular
composite bow with typical duck-shaped nocks
over his shoulder (Fig. 25). In his left hand he holds
an archer's bracer and three finger tabs of the type
used with the Mediterranean draw. Despite this,
archers are portrayed in other scenes in Neo-Hittite
art using the Mongolian draw (Akurgal 1962: PI.
124).

Perhaps for a volume dealing with the Land of
Israel the most interesting question is this: what
type of draw did the Judeans use? In Sennacherib's
relief of the fall of Lachish Judean archers fire at
the Assyrians (Fig. 26 A- B; Paterson 1915, PI.
77; Yadin 1963: 428-437; Barnett 1998a: 101-
105 Room XXXVI; 1998b: Pis. 322-352). All
of the archers are armed with composite bows.
Unfortunately, the upper regions of the tableau are

Fig. 25 . Archer with composite bow, arm guard and finger ~
tabs used in the Mediterranean draw (from Von Luschan

1898, Plate X)

ON DRAWING THE BOW 255*

Fig. 26. A-B) Judean archers defend Lachish from Recent excavations conducted by the Israel
Sennacherib ' s army (from Paterson 1915, PI. 77) Antiquities Authority at the Western Wall Plaza in
Jerusalem revealed a seventh-century BCE stone seal
badly degraded and, at least under normal lighting, bearing an image of another Judean archer who is
none of these bowmen's drawing hands have sur- shown in typical Assyrian manner, drawing a com-
vived in sufficient detail to be able to identify the posite bow to the viewer's right. 7 Unfortunately, the
draw. Given their use of composite bows, however, archer's wrist is signified by little more than a dotl
it seems safe to assume that the Assyrian artists hole, making it impossible to determine whether
portrayed the Judean archers using Mediterranean the Mediterranean, or the Mongolian, draw was
andlor Mongolian draws. intended.

Acknowledgments

I thank the editors of this volume for inviting me
to contribute to it. lowe a special debt of gratitude
to Mr. Jack Farrell for all his sound comments and
advice. I am grateful to Ms. Nancy Debono, Ms.
Rebekah Luza, Ms. Kristen Smith and Mr. Dante
Bartoli for their help during the preparation of this
manuscript.

Notes

A more comprehensive discuss ion of draws will appear a lthough it is normal to place the arrow on the right
in my forthcoming book dealing with archery in biblical of the bow when using a Mongolian draw, recent
times. photos have circulated on the web showing Mongolian
2 Wissler (1926: 33) modified the typo logy of the draws and Tibetian archers using thumb draws but with the
by classifying the Primary, Secondary and Tertiary into arrow placed on the left side of the bow, indicating
a single category, which he termed "Primary." that although unusual, this is not impossible (Naadam
3 Jack Farrell (personal communication) notes that Archery).

256* SHELLEY WACHSMANN

4 See also Morse 1922: 32-34 Fig. 31; Wissler 1926: 34; 6 My italics. S.W.
Kroeber 1927: 286. 7 Anonymous 2008.

5 See Davies' (1930: 29, 31) comments on extracting
information from ancient art.

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