Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows. The word comes from the Latin arcus, meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In modern times, it is mainly a competitive sport and recreational activity. A person who practices archery is typically called an archer, bowman, or toxophilite.
Archery competition in June 1983 at Mönchengladbach, West Germany
A Rikbaktsa archer competes at Brazil's Indigenous Games
Tibetan archer, 1938
Master Heon Kim demonstrating Gungdo, traditional Korean archery (Kuk Kung), 2009
The bow and arrow is a ranged weapon system consisting of an elastic launching device (bow) and long-shafted projectiles (arrows). Humans used bows and arrows for hunting and aggression long before recorded history, and the practice was common to many prehistoric cultures. They were important weapons of war from ancient history until the early modern period, where they were rendered increasingly obsolete by the development of the more powerful and accurate firearms. Today, bows and arrows are mostly used for hunting and sports.
A Karo boy holding a bow and arrow
Drawing a bow, from a 1908 archery manual
Scythians shooting with bows, Panticapeum (modern Kertch), 4th century BCE
A Subeshi culture bow, circa 800 BCE, Xinjiang Museum