Wiethase: Archery of Mongolia

History and present of archery in Mongolia.

The region that today comprises Outer Mongolia and Inner Mongolia (now within China) has been home to nomadic peoples for thousands of years. This is due partly to its vast, unbroken grazing lands, and partly to the brief summers (June to September) and the short, harsh winters (November to April). Since nomadic communities rely entirely on their herds – horses, sheep, goats, and cattle/yaks – they can maintain them only by moving to the summer pastures each spring, where they produce their stores of meat and milk, as well as the hay needed for the animals in winter. During the winter months, the livestock are kept almost entirely in sheltered enclosures. Across what is now Mongolia, a variety of peoples have always lived side by side, influencing one another in many ways. For this reason, it is difficult to define “the Mongolian bow” or “Mongolian arrows” in any strict sense. Even under the rule of Chinggis Khan, warriors of different ethnic backgrounds fought both alongside and against one another – and they brought their own weapons with them.

The present book therefore covers the arrows, bows, and quivers of the various peoples who have lived in the Mongolian region for millennia, commonly named Mongolian.

Hardcover, 144 pp., 470 ill.