Overview

This book presents the bows and arrows attributed to the Greenland Thule culture in the archaeological and ethnographic collections of the National Museum of Denmark. It contains a catalogue with comprehensive visual and metric data. Supplemented by material from other collections and written sources accessed through the literature, both regional variability and chronology are discussed. It becomes clear that during the spread and development of the Thule culture, its archery tradition developed into very different regional forms. This process was mainly triggered by resource availability and intra-group communication, or lack thereof. The second focus of the book is on functional analysis and examines the influence of raw material, technology and design on the performance of different bow and arrow types. It becomes clear that archery in Greenland, as in other Arctic regions, was highly complex and reflects specific environments of use. This makes it a primary source for Arctic cultural history.

Full Product Details

Author:   Sebastian J. Pfeifer
Publisher:   BAR Publishing
Imprint:   BAR Publishing
Weight:   0.471kg
ISBN:  

9781407359021

ISBN 10:   1407359029
Pages:   118
Publication Date:   30 November 2021
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Available To Order  
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Table of Contents

List of figures List of maps List of plates List of tables Abstract 1. Introduction 2. Background 2.1. Bow and arrow mechanics 2.1.1. Energy storage 2.2.2. Energy transmission 2.2. Terminology and classification of Arctic bows and arrows 2.3. Characteristics of Arctic archery technology 2.3.1. Raw materials 2.3.2. Joining techniques 2.3.3. The cable backing 2.3.4. Tools and manufacturing process 3. Thule culture archery in Greenland 3.1. The corpus: spatial distribution, find context, and preservation 3.2. Analysis 3.2.1. Raw materials (Map 3; Appendix A3 and 7) 3.2.2. Design (Appendix A5 and 9) 3.2.3. Technology (Appendix A6 and 10) 3.3. Regional Variability 3.3.1. Polar Greenland (Pl. 4-9) 3.3.2. Northwest Greenland (Pl. 10-17) 3.3.3. Central West Greenland (Pl. 18-25) 3.3.4. East Greenland (Pl. 26-29) 3.4. Miniature bows 3.5. Chronology 3.5.1. Earliest and latest Thule archery in Polar Greenland 3.5.2. Parallel traditions in West Greenland 3.5.3. Continuity in East Greenland 3.5.4. Arctic backing and screw tang - two Greenlandic innovations? 4. The Greenland bow in context 4.1. Bow design and use environment 4.2. Shooting technique 4.3. Bow hunting strategies 5. Conclusion and perspectives References Appendix A1 - Studied bows of the Greenland Thule culture A2 - Studied arrows of the Greenland Thule culture A3 - Bow raw materials A4 - Bow measurements (in cm) A5 - Bow design A6 - Bow technology A7 - Arrow raw materials A8 - Arrow measurements (in cm) A9 - Arrow design A10 - Arrow technology A11 - Single antler arrowheads from West Greenland (in cm)

Reviews

'The bow-and-arrow is one of the oldest and most widespread complex hunting and warfare technologies on earth, and is the subject of much study among archaeologists. As such, this volume represents a significant contribution not only to Arctic material culture studies, but also to the study of premodern archery elsewhere in the world.' Dr Sean P. A. Desjardins, Arctic Centre, Groningen Institute of Archaeology 'I believe that this book will be of interest not only to Arctic specialists and archery enthusiasts, but also to all researchers working on the weapons and hunting techniques of hunter-gatherer peoples of all periods and regions, and even of early agro-pastoral societies, in which the bow and arrow still play an important role.' Dr Pierre Cattelain, CReA/Patrimoine, Universite de Bruxelles & Cedarc, Treignes

'The bow-and-arrow is one of the oldest and most widespread complex hunting and warfare technologies on earth, and is the subject of much study among archaeologists.  As such, this volume represents a significant contribution not only to Arctic material culture studies, but also to the study of premodern archery elsewhere in the world.' Dr Sean P. A. Desjardins, Arctic Centre, Groningen Institute of Archaeology   'I believe that this book will be of interest not only to Arctic specialists and archery enthusiasts, but also to all researchers working on the weapons and hunting techniques of hunter-gatherer peoples of all periods and regions, and even of early agro-pastoral societies, in which the bow and arrow still play an important role.' Dr Pierre Cattelain, CRéA/Patrimoine, Université de Bruxelles & Cedarc, Treignes        

Author Information

Sebastian Pfeifer studied Prehistoric Archaeology, Classical Archaeology, and Medieval History in Jena and Zurich. In 2013, he was awarded a DPhil for his study on antler finds from the Late Upper Palaeolithic Petersfels cave site in Germany. His research focuses on organic technologies of archaeological and historical hunter-gatherer societies.

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