Swiss researchers are astounded to have identified Otzi’s bowstring. Even though the Iceman had still been working on his bow, he carried a finished twisted string in his quiver which was made of animal fibers and not of plant fibers. It is elastic, extremely resilient, and is therefore ideal as a bowstring. An extensive research project was carried out by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) which examined materials of Neolithic bows and arrows in detail for the first time. These were then compared to Otzi’s equipment.For the Archaeology Museum, the results of the study mean another record: Otzi’s artfully twisted cord and his hunting equipment are the world’s oldest preserved examples from the Neolithic.
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Wrapped cord made of animal leg sinew (left), animal sinew bundle (right) [Credit: South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology/H. Wisthaler] |
Combining previous finds of bows and arrows discovered across all of Europe with the most recent comparisons from Switzerland (Bronze Age finds from Schnidejoch and Lotschenpass), it has now been possible to examine the materials, size, and construction techniques of prehistoric hunting equipment in detail for the first time. The authors of the study, Jurgen Junkmanns (Germany), Giovanna Klugl (Switzerland), Werner Schoch (Switzerland), Giovanna Di Pietro (Switzerland), Albert Hafner (Switzerland), obtained a microscopic fiber sample from Otzi’s bowstring for their comparative study.
Prehistoric bowstrings are among the rarest of all finds in archaeological excavations. The cord contained in Otzi’s quiver may be the oldest preserved bowstring in the world. It has a diameter of 4 mm and is comprised of three strands which are very uniformly and finely twisted. The Swiss study was able to prove that leg sinews of an indeterminate species were processed as fibers and the cord was therefore particularly well suited for use as a bowstring.
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Otzi’s arrows [Credit: South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology/H. Wisthaler] |
Another bundle made of animal leg sinews found in the quiver was possibly meant to be used as replacement material for another bowstring.
Otzi’s 1.83 m long, unfinished bow made of yew (Taxus baccata) gave a unique, informative glimpse into how Neolithic bows were manufactured. The bow was first freshly cut from an 8-10 cm thick yew tree. He had already made good progress with his work, but the bow probably needed to be shortened and thinned. The best shooting results are obtained when the bow approximately corresponds to the height of the archer. For Otzi that would have been approximately 1.60m.
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Otzi’s arrow quiver [Credit: South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology/H. Wisthaler] |
Even the Iceman’s quiver is the only known Neolithic carrying case for arrows. It is 86 cm long and stitched from doeskin (Rupicapra rupicapra). One side of the quiver is reinforced with a hazel wood stick. At the upper end of the quiver a flap of stiffened leather protected the arrows carried within. If required, it could be opened very quickly and an arrow could be pulled out with a single motion of the arm.
The quiver’s interior held 14 arrows, two of which were ready to fire and complete with arrowheads and fletching. They represent the best preserved examples of Neolithic arrow production in Europe. Neolithic arrows were most often made from branches of suitable bushes like hazel (Corylus avellana) or, as with Otzi, from the branches of the wayfaring tree (Viburnum lantana).
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Yew stave that was Otzi’s unfinished longbow [Credit: South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology/H. Wisthaler] |
The study is published in the Journal of Neolithic Archaeology.
Source: South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology [December 18, 2019]
* This article was originally published here
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