Aconite is a toxic plant of “perennial herbs of the genus Aconitum, having tuberous roots, palmately lobed leaves, blue or white flowers with large hoodlike upper sepals, and an aggregate of follicles.” The Mongols may have used the Aconitum ferox found in Tibet or of a related species. Mongols smeared their arrows with what may have been the aconite ( Aconitum napellus, or monks-hood). The poison used on the arrow was called khoron. When looking at its function from a military viewpoint, it could be proposed that the whistling arrow had a dual purpose: one, to have a psychological impact upon the enemy army and for scaring their horses, and two, for signaling nearby Mongol units to maneuver and attack.Īnother projectile used by the Mongols was the poison arrow. Some think it was to frighten or was just a luxury or novelty item among the Mongols. The length of the container was directly related to the size of the arrowhead. The size of the barrel or biconical container was between 2.8 and 7.5 cm (one inch to three inches). The container was placed beneath the arrowhead, had two oval-shaped holes, and produced a whistle upon being fired. Many Mongol arrows had a hollow bone container. Omer Karamollaoglu/ CC BY 2.0) Flying Poison and Death on the Windīesides arrows designed to slice flesh and punch through armor came those that whistled and delivered poison. Also, see how he controls his breathing at the last picture.” (A. Mongolians use their thumb to draw the bow. “An absolute essential part of a Naadam (Festival) is archery. In other words, “death by a thousand cuts” as the ancient Chinese phrase goes.Ī modern Mongolian archer. This would inflict tremendous damage to both man and animal, as the arrowhead would slice its way through the ranks. Based upon its design, the Mongol cavalrymen would select this type of arrowhead to fire indirectly at the enemy troop intervals. Other arrowheads were broad and flat with a horizontal blade. Iron or steel arrowhead points were designed to punch through armor, such as the tapered, spiked arrowheads or those that were tempered and chiseled. Bone arrowheads could do next to nothing against armored opponents but still do considerable damage against other lightly or non-armored adversaries. The type of arrowheads used consisted of bone, steel, horn, and iron. A general by the name of Meng-Hung, who served the Sung Dynasty and who put up a strong resistance to the Mongols in the 1230s mentions three type of arrows: the sounding arrow, the camel-bone arrow, and the armor-piercing arrow. Carpini states that the arrowheads cut two ways, and were hardened by dipping them while red-hot into brine, after which they were so rigid they could pierce armor. ![]() Traveler Marco Polo placed arrowheads in two classes: light ones with small sharp points for long-range shooting and pursuit, and heavy ones with large, broad heads used in close quarters. On an interesting note, when using feathers, if a feather taken from the right wing was used, the arrow would spin to the right during flight, if taken from left wing, it would spin to the left. Eagle feathers were the most commonly used but the Mongols also used the feathers of geese, kites, blackcocks and woodpeckers. When it came to feathering the arrow, the Mongols used a variety of bird feathers. ![]() The Gear and Guts of the Mongol Military-Part I To further strengthen a damaged shaft, the surface was layered with birch bark. If the top of the shaft split due to the tang, it would be bound with cord. To make an arrow, the Mongol archer would take an iron tanged arrowhead and carefully hammer the point of the tang into the shaft without splitting it. The shaft of the arrow thinned out towards the notch of the tip. The wood used to make the shafts was usually willow, birch, and juniper. When it came to length, the arrows were roughly over two feet (0.6 meters) in length. The arrows the Mongolian military used varied in size, weight, and function. A Deadly Rain of Arrows, Piercing and SlicingĮnemies of the Mongolian armies feared a deadly rain of arrows. The Mongolian soldier’s bows and arrows are perhaps their best-known weapons – their famous riding and archery skills were a sight to behold, as long as they weren’t targeted at you. ![]() What gear did they use? How did they deal with their wounded? How did they partner with horses to become masters of the steppe? Much is known about the ancient Mongol military and their incredible victories on the battlefield, but little is ever discussed about their arms, armor, horses, and logistics.
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