Bows and Arrows of the Greenland Thule Culture (1200–1900 AD): A study of archaeological and ethnographic sources

Description

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. Bows and Arrows of the Greenland Thule Culture (1200–1900 AD) 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 Draw weight Draw length Bow length Profile 2.2.2. Energy transmission Limb mass Mass placement String mass Arrow mass 2.2. Terminology and classification of Arctic bows and arrows 2.3. Characteristics of Arctic archery technology 2.3.1. Raw materials Driftwood Antler Whalebone Horn and baleen Hide Sinew Feathers Metal Stone 2.3.2. Joining techniques Splint Scarfs 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) Bow cross sections Bow silhouettes, limb taper and profiles Arrow design 3.2.3. Technology (Appendix A6 and 10) Treatment of the grain Splices and joining techniques 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)