MONGOLIAN ARCHERY: FROM THE STONE AGE TO NADAAM
Every year, a major festival called Naadam in Mongolia celebrates the "three games of men", the manly pursuits of archery, wrestling and horse racing. At this year's competition, I spoke to Luvsannorov Munkh, experimental archaeologist, Mongol bow researcher, and archer who detailed the Mongolian archery tradition that continues to today, most notably with standing competitions held during Naadam Festival each summer and horseback competitions in which the world is invited to compete. He gave me a fascinating insight into the world of Mongolian traditional archery; still driven today by legends of the past.
FROM THE STONE AGE TO THE INVASION OF EUROPE
As an archeologist and employee of the national museum, Luvsannorov Munkh was well versed in the entire history and development of Mongolian archery. He claimed that stone arrow heads have been found in Mongolia dating back 85,000 years, and that humans have been using bows for much longer than previously thought.
In the 13th century, the Mongolian
