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Archeological sites in Nubia are a continuous source of new material connected eithergenerally or specifically with Nubian archery. Objects of this kind discussed here and in otherpublications of excavated assemblages (including excavations of the Polish Centre of MediterraneanArcheology, University of Warsaw) are seldom perceived as such, indiscernible as they are amongthe range of metal objects judged as being weaponry in a general sense. The lack of any syntheticwork on Nubian archery is also evident in the literature in general and the few works that undertakethe theme contain errors that are in need of being corrected. This article deals with issues relatedto the topic, which, although discussed separately, will hopefully work toward establishing thegroundwork for a final reconstruction.

In 1997 War and History published my article, "Catapults Are Not Atomic Bombs: Towards a Redefinition of 'Effectiveness' in Premodern Military Technology." The title was hyperbolic as the article discussed neither catapults nor atomic bombs, but that hyperbole was to serve a purpose: to have military historians, primarily historians of military technology rethink their notions of military technological determinism, especially in interpreting premodern military history. In that article I used three examples: the chariot, the longbow, and gunpowder weaponry, suggesting that the use of these technologies by modern historians as determining catastrophe, invincibility, and revolution, respectively, was overstating their effects on history. After 22 years I was asked to revisit my original thoughts and here use the various chroniclers' descriptions at the battle of Crécy (1346) and the function of the English longbows (and longbowmen) to explore how the premodern world thought about technology in war. Ultimately, I reaffirm the importance of humans over technology in any military situation, even if the technologies are either characteristic or central to any particular engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present Longbow, a lightweight console-based remote job submission tool and library. Longbow allows the user to quickly and simply run jobs on high performance computing facilities without leaving their familiar desktop environment. Not only does Longbow greatly simplify the management of compute- intensive jobs for experienced researchers, it also lowers the technical barriers surrounding high perfor-mance computation for the next generation of scientists and engineers. Longbow has already been used to remotely submit jobs in a number of projects and has the potential to redefine the manner in which high performance computers are used.

Yew (Taxus baccata L.) longbow was the preferred weapon in the Middle Ages until the emergence of guns. In this study, the tensile, compression, and bending properties of yew were investigated. The advantage of yew over the other species in the study was also confirmed by a simple beam model. The superior toughness of yew has the effect that a yew longbow has a higher range compared with bows made from other species. Unexpectedly, the mechanical performance of a bow made from yew is influenced by the juvenile-to-mature wood ratio rather than by the heartwood-to-sapwood ratio. A yew bow is predicted to have maximized performance at a juvenile wood content of 30-50%, and located at the concave side (the compressive side facing the bowyer). Here, the stiffness and yield stress in compression should be as high as possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Traditional understandings of the development of the medieval English longbow and its role in the fourteenth-century ‘infantry revolution’ have recently been challenged by historians. This article responds to the revisionists, arguing based on archaeological, iconographic and textual evidence that the proper longbow was a weapon of extraordinary power, and was qualitatively different from – and more effective than – the shorter self-bows that were the norm in England (and western Europe generally) before the fourteenth century. It is further argued that acknowledging the importance of the weapon as a necessary element of any credible explanation of English military successes in the era of the Hundred Years War does not constitute ‘technological determinism’. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Sir Ralph Payne-Gallwey is best known nowadays as the author of The Crossbow (1903) which remains a reliable introduction to the study of this weapon. Based on experiments with mediaeval weapons he had restored and the work of two research assistants it covers the development of the weapon from the early middle ages to the nineteenth century. He also made scale models and one third replicas of ancient ballistas, which he tested on his estate at Thirkleby, Yorkshire and at Fort Belan, adjacent to the Menai straits. Using a crossbow he shot an arrow and hurled a stone ball from a ballista, over the narrows, a distance of about a quarter of a mile. Arrow-throwing, shooting with the Turkish composite bow as well as the Indian quoit and the boomerang all demonstrate an interest not only in exotic and unusual weapons but also in the science of ballistics. This he showed to friends at Thirkleby, to enthusiastic audiences at the Royal Toxophilite Society meetings and more formally at the Royal Institution in 1908. The text of his lecture was subsequently printed and is reproduced here. These ballistic experiments led to the design of a golf ball with a reticulated surface and his unique 'roller' golf club. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]