He compares the flight path of an arrow to a bullet from a gun. Timothy May notes that Mongol arrows were usually fletched in an asymmetrical fashion. They also utilized river reeds, when available, as shafts. The preferred tree for producing arrows was willow, though they used any trees available. Always useful when signaling a military action from a distance.Īrrows tended to be a little over 2 feet in length and were usually larger than what was commonly used in Europe. Sometimes they would be whistling arrows.

Arrows were fashioned for purposes from armor piercing to signal arrows. Not only were the arrowheads different, but the functions of the arrows were wide ranging. This was useful when battling an unarmed target. Usually, a broad-headed arrow would disperse the force along the edges of the arrowhead. Armor penetration was done with a tapered arrowhead or a spike arrowhead. Each soldier carried a file of some sort to sharpen the edges of their arrows. The Mongols used various arrowheads, usually made of iron, steel, horn, or bone. The men do not make anything at all, with the exception of arrows, and they also sometimes tend the flocks, but they hunt and practice archery, for they are all, big and little, excellent archers, and their children begin as soon as they are two or three years old to ride and manage horses and to gallop them, and they are given bows to suit their stature and are taught to shoot they are extremely agile and also intrepid. On the making of arrows, John de Plano Carpini has this to say: If you take this map showing the approximate locations of the mongol tribes and other inhabitants of the Eurasian Steppe and compare it to the two maps I've linked above what do you see? The Mongol tribes, of which there are many more but this was the best map, are very near the forest regions of northern Mongolia/southern Siberia. Though they didn't build houses, they did use the timber for arrows. It is safe to assume that the Mongols used the forests for timber. There are numerous references to the forests of Siberia in the Secret History of the Mongols and in various other accounts of the Mongol Empire. If you want to do some digging yourself, in René Grousset's book The Empire of the Steppes: A History of Central Asia, there is a map of the Eurasian steppe in the front cover. Again, it is small, but it conveys the sentiment I'm trying to express here. In addition, this map might be of interest. It is also small, so you'll have to zoom in a bit. This one was undated, but it shows a good generalization of the Mongolian climate. I found two biome maps that should be helpful here. In this country slightly smaller than Alaska, the famous Central Asian steppe meets the vast Siberian taiga forest, and the towering Altay Mountains rise above the dry Gobi. Mongolia is called the Land of Steppe and Sky in this National Geographic article. I've also written about arrow structure and assembly. I've outlined a little about the climate below. It seems like in the beginning you are running on this assumption that there are no trees in Mongolia.

I didn't organize my thoughts really clearly below, but I want to make it clear that the region inhabited by the Mongol Empire was not entirely the semi-arid steppe that you might think about today. Previous AMAs | Previous Roundtables Featuresįeature posts are posted weekly. May 25th | Panel AMA with /r/AskBibleScholars Please Subscribe to our Google Calendar for Upcoming AMAs and Events To nominate someone else as a Quality Contributor, message the mods. Our flaired users have detailed knowledge of their historical specialty and a proven record of excellent contributions to /r/AskHistorians. Please Read and Understand the Rules Before Contributing. Report Comments That Break Reddiquette or the Subreddit Rules. Serious On-Topic Comments Only: No Jokes, Anecdotes, Clutter, or other Digressions. Provide Primary and Secondary Sources If Asked. Write Original, In-Depth and Comprehensive Answers, Using Good Historical Practices. Questions should be clear and specific in what they ask, and should be able to get detailed answers from historians whose expertise is likely to be in particular times and places. Nothing Less Than 20 Years Old, and Don't Soapbox. Be Nice: No Racism, Bigotry, or Offensive Behavior. Downvote and Report comments that are unhelpful or grossly off-topic.Upvote informative, well sourced answers.New to /r/AskHistorians? Please read our subreddit rules and FAQ before posting! Apply for Flair

Mongolian quiver of arrows