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Tir Au Pouce. Cuir ? Cuir !


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Voici le texte qui accompagnait ces photos d'un ami japonnais sur face de bouc ( c'est peut être dans la langue de la perfide ) :

Eureka! Following my post a few days ago about the leather artifact in the Metropolitan Museum New York.,which they label as an Egyptian archer’s “wrist guard”, I can now confidently declare that it is in fact a thumb tab – for thumb-release shooting.

Thanks to Pierre Yves Grenier and Ryan Roth Bartel whose comments to my original post brought my attention to the small size of the object.

Until then, I had blithely gone along with the Met’s description but once they pointed out the actual tab is just over a couple of inches, I realized it could be a thumb tab. Once that thought is established, you can quickly see how its shape is like that of the thumb

I made a replica of it yesterday and shot my angular bow with it. It worked perfectly! It is clear from Ancient Egyptian art that they are using a thumb release. What we didn’t know previously was the nature of thumb protection – there seemed no evidence for either gloves (as the Japanese use) or thumb-rings (as most composite bow cultures use). Now we have a clear indicator that it was this ingenious thumb tab. I imagine the same device was used by the Hittites and the Assyrians.

So that puzzle is solved. However it leaves us with a new one. The Met may have got the identification of the object wrong – they were confused by the fact that it had been found tied to the archer’s wrist – but we must presume, until proven otherwise, that they are correct about the dating of the find. They give it as 1961 – 1917 BC. This around 300 hundred years prior to the arrival of the Hyksos !

It is currently widely accepted that it was the Hyksos who introduced the composite, angular bow into Egypt. It is this type of bow with which we generally associate a thumb-draw. Prior to that Egyptians were using wooden bows. We might have assumed that they used these with a ‘Mediterranean’ three-finger draw but this little tab would suggest otherwise.

The other remaining great mystery to me is WHY does it have that little nipple on the end?

Edited by wendat
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Rapidité de tir et tenue de la flèche plaquée contre l'arc par l'index de corde qui tient même avec archer à cheval au galop. :06:

Par contre difficile à maitriser, c'est une technique bien particulière avec des utilisateurs fort peu nombreux :wacko:

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The question à deux cesterces : A quoi sert le petit téton de cuir au bout de cette "palette" ?

Il faudrait essayer avec et sans téton..............peut-être à ménager le bout du pouce sans gêner le glissement de la corde..............

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Rapidité de tir et tenue de la flèche plaquée contre l'arc par l'index de corde qui tient même avec archer à cheval au galop. :06:

Par contre difficile à maitriser, c'est une technique bien particulière avec des utilisateurs fort peu nombreux :wacko:

Vrai pour la France et l'Europe occidentale, mais du Japon à la Hongrie on tire au pouce.

Edited by wendat
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Etonnant de ne pas retrouver des équivalent ailleurs et a d'autres époques. L'anneau de pouce aurait il des aspect supérieurs ou bien l'influence turco-mongole était très forte?

Le cuir se conserve moins bien que la corne, l'ivoire ou le cuivre.......et ce devait être du consommable, jeté aussitôt usé.

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