[ANST - Suffer the Slings and Arrows?]

[Michael F. Gunter]

> But this rememberance of the shooting test has got me thinking.  I would
> dearly love to REALLY test medieaval archery power under the right conditions.
>  I mean take bow and arrows of size, design, and weight that were actually
> used in period, and actually try them out against shields and armor made of
> the same materials and using the same construction methods as period samples.

I'm sure there must have been tests out there of period weapons used on period
armor. Like broadswords swung at riveted mail on a cow carcass. But even that
test truly doesn't recreate the difference between a man fighting in it and
a limp carcass hanging as a tester swings with all of his might.

I would like to see the results of such a test, or better yet, do them myself.

> Most descriptions I've read of ancient shields describe them as
> being leather stretched over a wood frame, and similar construction methods.
> If the whole thing was made of wood I'm sure it was single-layer wood and not
> plywood.

etc...

> The end result is that a modern SCA plywood shield is most likely stronger
> than most actual period shields.

But here comes the roundabout discussion. The arrows could go through shield
and armor, etc..et al.. But most shields, I'm mainly looking at the typical Viking
round here, were a quarter inch plywood which was mainly used to get a force
through arrow storms and into ax weilding range. Shields were not the magic
weapons either. But these were sufficient to slow down the arrows enough for
the warrior to close range. I know it was against different bows than the longbow
or recurve but I still feel is says that the arrows weren't all that powerful.

> A&S mavens, armorers, bowyers and anybody of like mind, please take note:  I
> would love to get a project going to research and recreate period-accurate
> equipment, and then do a destruction test.  Anybody interested?  I know it may
> sound a little crazy to want to do all that work so that things can be broken,
> but it would put an end to the "how dangerous were archers" arguments once and
> for all.  And it just may be fun to do.

I fully concur. The sport of SCA combat is interesting and I enjoy it but I would be
more interested in a) learning how the period weapons and armor really worked and
b) defining just what it is that we are doing in the SCA. Is it tournament combat with
rules and honor or is it a duel? I personally feel it is the former. There's a lot of nasty
things I would do to someone I'm trying to kill that I wouldn't dream of on the tourney
field.

>       Tomonaga

In Friendship.

Gunthar

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