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The Holmegaard bows are a series of found in the of Northern Europe dating from c. 7000 BC in the Mesolithic period. They are named after the Holmegaard area of Denmark in which the first and oldest specimens were found, and are the oldest bows discovered anywhere in the world.
accessed 14.9.2017. First published in Lee, Noh-Shin (Ed.), Study of Structures, Materials & Manufacturing Processes of World Traditional Bows & Arrows, Cheonan 2009, pp. 155-180.
All Mesolithic bows from this area are made of Ulmus glabra, the best European bow wood apart from Taxus baccata. (Yew spread to modern Denmark only in about the third millennium BCE.)
Subsequent analysis suggested the back may have instead been convex with the flattened surface being the belly. This is far more efficient for woods like elm which are relatively strong in tension. The compression strain on the belly is evenly distributed on the flat surface which reduces string follow. Later Taxus baccata bows are generally narrower, yew being better suited for narrow bows than elm.
Such "Holmegaard style" bows are used in flight archery competitions. For flight bows, an optimum between the length of the stiff tips and the draw force of the bow is desired. If the outer limbs are too long, their weight exceeds the capacity of the energy stored in inner limbs. The outer limbs can also become unstable if made too thin. In modern Holmegaard-style bows, the outer limbs are much thicker than the inner limbs to prevent the outer limbs from bending excessively.Perry, D (2008). Flight Bows, page 165. The Traditional Bowyers Bible Volume 4. The Lyons Press, 2008.
The original specimens were not finished for such high performance. There is even doubt as to whether the biconvex shape of the mid-limbs is due to poor preservation in the bogs. The more recent Holmegaards do not have well defined "shoulders" at all and have more semblance to the American flatbow.Lansac, P Les arcs de Holmegaard, http://www.archerie-primitive.com/articles/arcs-holmegaard.htm , Archerie Primitive(French), June 29, 2009.
Because of the wide working limbs, Holmegaard bows can be made from more common, lower density woods such as maple, Fraxinus, and oak, as well as elm.
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