Composite bow

A bow built from layers of different materials, commonly wood, horn, and animal sinew. Their contrasting properties let a compact bow store and release substantial energy.

Bow limb: A flexible arm of a bow that bends under the draw and returns to propel the arrow. The layered materials work together within each bending limb.
Wood: The fibrous structural material of tree stems and branches. A wooden core supports the horn and sinew layers in many composite bows.
Scythian bow: A compact composite bow associated with the Scythian peoples of the Eurasian steppe. It illustrates the early steppe tradition of compact, recurved composite bows.
Horse archery: The use of a bow by an archer riding a horse, especially in warfare or hunting. The composite bow's short form suited shooting from horseback.
Longbow: A tall bow, commonly made from a single piece of wood, with limbs approaching the archer's height. The longbow offers a contrasting design that relies on length rather than layered materials.
Bow draw weight: The force required to draw a bow to a specified length. Composite construction can produce high draw weight in a relatively short bow.
Keratin: A family of structural proteins found in hair, nails, feathers, and other animal tissues. Horn's keratin structure helps explain its role as a compressive bow layer.
Mongol bow: A short composite bow used by Mongol forces, including mounted archers. Its construction adapted the composite-bow tradition to mobile warfare.
Turkish archery: A historical archery tradition associated with the Ottoman Empire and earlier Turkish polities. Turkish archers used powerful composite bows in mounted and foot archery.
Self bow: A bow made from a single piece of wood rather than bonded layers. Its one-piece construction contrasts directly with a composite bow's material layers.

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