Reconstruction of the Sintashta culture composite bow: a review of archaeological experiment

The article presents the data of an international experimental study dedicated to the reconstruction of the composite bow of the Sintashta culture of the Bronze Age of the Southern Urals. The paper examines the global context of the design features of ancient bows from the Neolithic to the Late Bronze Age. The high role of long-range weapons in the life of Sintashta society has been repeatedly noted by researchers. The production processes that directly affect the practice of using weapons, as well as the problems of the evolution of weapons, are poorly understood. As an object for the reconstruction of the Sintashta bow, a complex of horn parts from mound 4, pit 13 of the Stepnoye burial ground (Chelyabinsk region) was chosen, since it is the most constructively interesting and integral. Using authentic technologies and materials, the authors of the article managed to create four versions of the bow reconstruction until the most experimentally substantiated model was obtained. This project is the first attempt at a full-scale reconstruction of the composite bow of the Sintashta culture. The analyzed sample of weapons is potentially very important for understanding the genesis and evolution of the bows of the steppe cultures. It is one of the factors in creating a special style of ranged combat based on mobility and conditioned by the open spaces of the steppe.