Cresting on Arrows from the Citadel of Damascus
A substantial number of arrow fragments were found during an excavation in the Citadel of Damascus. They date from the very late Mamlūk and probably very early Ottoman periods (late 15th to early 16th centuries CE). The arrows are typical of this period and of Turco-Islamic archery in general, havin...
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| Publicado no: | URI:https://journals.openedition.org/beo, |
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| Autor principal: | |
| Formato: | Article ou chapitre numérique |
| Idioma: | Anglais |
| Publicado em: |
Bulletin d’études orientales
2018
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| Assuntos: | |
| Acesso em linha: | Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM |
| Resumo: | A substantial number of arrow fragments were found during an excavation in the Citadel of Damascus. They date from the very late Mamlūk and probably very early Ottoman periods (late 15th to early 16th centuries CE). The arrows are typical of this period and of Turco-Islamic archery in general, having similarities with fragmentary and occasionally complete arrows from Central and Inner Asia, especially where their nocks are concerned. One of the most distinctive features of the Damascus Citadel arrow fragments is their cresting (painted colouring around, within, and next to the nocks). A variety of patterns can be identified. These can be grouped according to colour, number and size of rings. Although cresting is barely mentioned in medieval written texts, one may to assume that it was primarily functional and provided a means of identifying the arrows. What remains unclear is the purpose of such identification, whether it concerned ownership of an arrow or was to identify a type of arrow and arrowhead. A substantial number of arrow fragments with arrowheads attached were also found in the Citadel of Damascus, but are too fragmentary for a connection to be made between types of arrowhead and the different designs of cresting. |
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