Later civilisations such as the Egyptians, Hittites and the Assyrians, with more leisure time on their hands, created wonderful murals depicting hunting scenes with chariots and archers in pursuit of big game - lions, antelopes etc. - and target archery is mentioned in the Greek myths when Odysseus had to prove who he was when he returned from his travels by shooting an arrow through a line of axe heads.

The bow and arrow evolved into a formidable weapon of war, and the Hundred Years' War in Europe was dominated by the excellence of the English longbowmen (who were actually mostly Welsh...) who, although vastly outnumbered by armoured cavalry, were instrumental in routing the French armies in the battles of Poitiers, Crecy and Agincourt.

From 1330 to 1414, all other sports were banned because they diverted time from archery and a royal decree of 1363 required all Englishmen to practice archery on Sundays and holidays. Golf and football were banned in 1457 and the new game of cricket was made illegal in 1477, because they were interfering with compulsory archery practice, and to counteract an increasing shortage of bowstaves, yew trees were planted in every English churchyard to provide wood for the bows. The development of gunpowder and firearms led to a steady decline in the bow and arrow as a weapon of war and the last battle to use archers was in 1644, but recreational use continued to advance and by about 1600, three kinds of shooting were practised in England, and they still survive today.

English folklore continues to tell the tale of Robin Hood, an outlaw who lived, with his "Merrie Men," in Sherwood Forest, outwitting the wicked Sherrif of Nottingham with his skill at the bow. The stories date from the thirteenth century, but every English child will still be able to tell you about him and his prowess as an archer!

The bow developed in other parts of the world too - the central Asian tribes became particularly proficient, especially when it came to shooting on horseback, and the Japanese have developed archery into the art of Kyudo, whilst the Native Americans depended on the bow and arrow as hunting tools and became expert in their manufacture and use.