In Sviyazhsk the exhibition "Stretched bowstring. Bows and attributes of the Archer’s culture of the peoples of Russia and the world"

September 8 at 13.00  the exhibition hall "The Old Water Tower" will open the exhibition "Stretched Bowstrings. Bows and attributes of the archer’s culture of the peoples of Russia and the world "

Bows and arrows became symbols of military valor; the mastery of their possession is reflected in mythology, pagan cults, folk art, fine arts.

On the territory of the Volga and the Volga-Kama region bows were used, beginning since the primitive epoch and throughout the Middle Ages, until the XVII century inclusive. The foundation and the first stage of the history of Sviyazhsk (the second half of the 16th - 17th centuries) refers to the final period of active use of bows in combat operations when they acted alongside and destroyed firearms. However, their application was still preserved, and among the residents of the city there were masters of making bows and arrows. The bows used by the Finno-Ugric population of the region (Mari, Udmurts) were used at a later time, in the 18th and 19th centuries, as hunting weapons.

The exhibition will feature items from the funds of the National Museum of the Republic of Tatarstan, Ethnographic Museum of Kazan Federal University, GIAKhMZ "Island-Grad Sviyazhsk", materials of reconstruction.

Among the original exhibits, the majority are regional finds related to the Volga-Kama region: archaeological objects of the primitive epoch and the Middle Ages (the period of the Volga Bulgaria): various types of arrowheads - from stone, bone and metal; bone lining for bows; details of naluchy and quivers; protective devices. At the exhibition you can see the arrowheads of the 16th - 17th centuries found during archeological excavations in Sviyazhsk. Also,  hunting bows and objects of the best equipment of the peoples of the Volga and Siberia of the XIX century are presented.

The world's archer’s culture is reflected in several rare artifacts from North America, Africa, and Asia.

The information and illustrative materials of the exhibition provide extensive information on the history of bows, their types and devices, the elements and attributes of the "inventory", the ancient culture of ancient Russia and the East, the modern use of bows, etc.

The creation of an exhibition on the history of bows is connected with one of the directions of the modern development of Sviyazhsk - as a place of reconstruction and popularization of the medieval military-historical culture, including the bows. Here, for several years, educational and interactive events, tournament-festivals on archery are held.

The exhibition is open: September 8 - October 15, 2017.