Description
Nubian archers from the ‘Land of the Bow’ were famed for their skills and used as mercenaries by the Ptolemaic dynasty. Archery was valued in Nubian society: their gods and rulers were often depicted with bows or archers’ thumb rings, and their warriors were often buried with bows, quivers, arrows and rings. The shaped metal rings guarded archers’ fingers, allowing them to fully draw their powerful bows. Several types of bow were employed, including the longbow and composite bow. There were also many types of arrowhead, some of which were barbed to make them more difficult to remove from a wound. As unarmoured skirmishers, Nubian archers relied on their spear-armed comrades to keep the enemy at bay whilst they made their shots count. Under the Kushite queen, Amanirenas, Nubian archers defeated a Roman force and, after five years of war, a peace that favoured the Kushites was agreed in 20BC.
