Scythian/Sarmatian bow, all bamboo possible?

[Folkert van Wijk]

A dutch fendor and bowmaker offers and makes Scythian bows compleetly made out of bamboo, exept for the siyas.
1) Is there any evidence for Scythian/Sarmation bows being made of bamboo?
2) If not, would it be plausible or devendible to use one in a Scythian/Sarmatian setting?

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

Possibly for extreme eastern branches....but not too sure about the more western elements, especially if you are refering to the black sea branches...
Is bamboo even native to these parts?
I'll be interested in hearing what has to be said in reply to this!

[M. Demetrius]

Bamboo would be easy enough to import, I reckon. But it doesn't seem like the sort of thing they'd do. They strip bamboo fiber and make yarn fabric from bamboo. But clearly that doesn't mean a bamboo fiber tunic would be realistic. Not sure how far west bamboo grows. India? Maybe.

[daryush]

1) Is there any evidence for Scythian/Sarmation bows being made of bamboo?

No, and the material would not hold up to the stresses of a Scythian type bow, especially an Eastern Saka type which was drawn longer.

Are you referring to Fairbow Nederland? Yeah, his "Scythian" bows are waaaay off the mark! I'm sure they shoot fine but they look nothing like old-time Scythian bows.

2) If not, would it be plausible or devendible to use one in a Scythian/Sarmatian setting?

Hmmmm.

On the one hand, a bow was found at Olon Kurin Gol (spelling?) that was made of laminated wood. When braced it was the same shape and size as a Scythian bow but it was tillered differently so the unbraced and drawn profiles were considerably different. It shot a very short arrow.

On the other hand, you can't extrapolate this to a different location, different culture, and different material. The only Scythians that would have had access to bamboo would have been the Saka tribes east of the Oxus/Jaxartes, particularly those that lived on China's border and the Indo-Saka who invaded India. A little too geographically and culturally far away from the Western Scythians and Sarmatians who resided in the Caucasus and Ukraine.

There is evidence for triple curved bows in use by Indian infantry, but the curves are very gentle and also, Indian =/= Indo-Saka. Also it is unclear from the depictions what they are made of.

Hope this helps!