Reproduction Ancient Bow like one found in Iraq.

[Gaius Drustanus]

Awesome! Hans Bader (Bad, Bader and Badest) has given me a NEW BOW! It is based on a Roman Recurve composite bow found in Iraq (with bone ears). Although it looks entirely kosher it's actually fibreglass and is a prototype for one made of natural wood, bone and sinew that Hans will work on next.
Hans himself is an archeologist, so his career is in Ruins!
Thank you Hans. I'm stoked.

[English Warbowman]

Sounds interesting Gaius, could you post some photos please and what is it's draw length/weight?

[Gaius Drustanus]

Thank you English for your interest. I will ask Mark Purdy to do the photography etc to meet your requests. I think the Bow is 30lb & 22inches (?) draw but I will check. Sorry but I am not an archery expert
The Roman army used composite bows all over the Empire and not always just specialist auxillary Units.
Archeological evidence comes primarily from bone laths which turn up everywhere. The Fortress at Caerleon in Wales (Castle of the Legion) produced one of the finest collections of ear laths ("The Late Roman Army" - Southern & Dixon).
Caerleon was the base for the Second Legion Augusta in Britain for several centuries before a division was moved to the East Coast Saxon Shore Forts (according to the Notitia Dignitum) on the Mare Germania under the Comes Littoris Saxoni (Count of the Saxon Shore).
Archery would have been Useful!
Moved from dealing with dodgy coracle-born Irish blue painted Buccaneers in skin boats to sneaky Angle, Saxon and Jutish pirates in open hulled low lying longships. Nice!

[English Warbowman]

What is intriguing is the thought of composite bow armed Romans defending the Saxon Shore against Angles, Saxons and Jutes probably armed with longbows of the type found at Nydam and Vimose. Those bows only differ from their sixteenth century Mary Rose counterparts in being less thick. The draw weights have been estimated around the 100lb mark. (The Great Warbow. Hardy/Strickland) So they would have packed quite a punch.

[Gaius Drustanus]

Good point.
But there is evidence also that the Romans had used:
A. Crossbow. There is one in a Sculpture in Roman Gaul, the frAgments for a crossbow trigger mechanism turned up at a Northern Romano-British fortress site in Scotland (Votadini I think), and several images of crossbowmen on Pictish stones. Byzantine sources refer to crossbows;
B. Rope torsion catapults. Parts for a hand held ballista turned up at a Roman fortress site in Germany.
Hadrians Wall shows portable field Scorpio or Ballista mounted on mobile carts.
Catapults could have been mounted on the liburnian and trireme vessels of the Classis Britannica while on patrol on the Channel and also of course on Castle Walls of the Saxon shore;
C. If the Romans needed Longbowmen then they hired them. Hadrians Wall had mercenary Frisian and Germanic Units all over it and there is no evidence that they provided anything else but good service. The Ostrogoths fielded foot archers commonly and gothic auxillary units appear in the Roman Army quite early on, (firstly, in Arabia, absolutely the first written record of the Gothic people).
D. Horse archers are not unknown in both Greek (Seleucid) and Roman armies, probably inspired either by the Scythians or Huns.

[Gaius Drustanus]

Isn't it great to know that Nydam and Vimose finds signify the availability of long bow in our Period. Perhaps the Medieval Welsh "innovation" of the Longbow came down to them from Romano-British ancestors?

[English Warbowman]

The Welsh "thing" is now mostly discredited. Longbows have been around for thousands of years (Otzi had a longbow). The Great Warbow is a massive study which shows how the longbow has been used by many cultures all over the world but reached it's apogee as a potential battle winner in the 100 Years War due to it's tactical use by English armies.
A Frisian longbow archer would make an interesting re enactment study.

[Gaius Drustanus]

I seem to recall that a well preserved longbow or archery accessories (arrow heads) were found in anaerobic conditions near the Giants Dance dating to c2000 or c3000 BC?

[Gaius Drustanus]

And while on the topic of Archers paraphenalia I forgot to mention my recent importation of an Archers style bronze helmet (preLoved) while I was in Sydney over the Festival of Venus (Easter).
Conical copper alloy Helm in the style you see on Trajan's Column in Rome, as worn by "Syrian" auxillary archers, barbarian Sarmations (who have their own horse archer cataphracts) and possibly Dacians (probably just the officers and rich sods).
Images of these helms turn up associated too with the iconography of Germanic chieftains (but not Gauls) and later Roman troops.
Probably suitable as a Dark Age helmet also, as well as Roman period
The helm has classical style cheek guards and a (dodgy) leather ventail, which will probably have to Go.
It has fixture for a plume or crest (of Course)
Secondhand, it is not originally Shop bought (Indian manufacture) and seems to be hand made. It fits me very well (as any one who knows my head well will realise is very remarkable).
I will organise pics when we photo the bow.