Arrows, one of the oldest tools of war and hunting of humans. An efficient and precise tool to kill from a safe distance. Understanding its history may help explain why our oldest tool is still relevant thousands of years later.

An arrow is a shafted projectile shot from a bow. It predates the records of our history and is commonly found in most cultures. The inventors of the bow and arrow are lost in time, our story begins in the stone age. Our best guess is that people invented the bow and arrow about 64,000 years ago. Some of the earliest arrowheads came from South Africa. Stone age humans were the first to use bows and arrows. They made their bows from collapsible wood and tied them with strings made from animal gut. The arrows had a wooden shaft with stone at one end to penetrate and feathers at the other to stabilize them. Before bows and arrows, humans tied themselves to spears. Their lives were at a higher level of risk when they faced large mammals such as mammoths and saber-toothed tigers. As humans progressed through the centuries, so did bows and arrows. From stone points, bronze points, and iron points, humans continued to increase the accuracy and power of the arrow. The bow progressed from the longbow to the recurve bow of Central Asia, to the crossbow designed by Chinese blacksmiths.

arrowheads

Although the physical design of the arrow has remained constant, technological advances have increased. Also, the specialization of warfare, hunting, and training changed the shape and size of the arrowhead. Changes in arrowheads could be seen and identified across the cultures that produced them. For example, long arrows made by English archers during the Hundred Years’ War were more effective at piercing holes in the armor of French knights. A change made to the standard arrowhead reduced the cost of training new archers. The typical “V” shape of arrowheads was slightly modified by getting rid of the barbs, so the arrowhead was just a cap. This allowed archers to practice shooting the same arrow multiple times. The arrowheads were also modified in such a way that they were barbed. which would stick to the flesh of a fish, while attached to a line and actual for fishing. Bows and arrows did not reach North America until about 45,000 years ago. This is largely due to the use of them on horseback. and that horses were not brought into the country until later than most of the world.

In current times, arrows are found in all shapes and sizes. The most popular materials are carbon, aluminum and wood. Arrowheads differ based on their use, but are highly specialized. On most arrows now, the veins to stabilize the arrows in flight are plastic. Unlike our history, arrows today are used more for sport than necessity.

The arrow is a perfect example of incredible human engineering of a simple design tool.