Ближний Восток и его соседи

g 163 h Archaeological Evidence for Mamlūk Archery Hand bows 2. Several years ago an astonishing hoard of medieval military equipment was found by local people in the ruins of a collapsed building, probably a corner tower of the fortress of Qal c at al-Rahba overlooking the Euphrates valley in north-eastern Syria. This material eventually found its way onto the Damascus antiques market and was exported before a campaign by UNESCO led to such sales either ceasing or being made illegal. Fortunately, almost all the hoard was purchased by an antiques dealer who recognised its importance and insisted that the entire collection remained together so that it could eventually be studied together. The opportunity was also taken to have radio carbon dating tests done on a number of items. The results offered 95% and 68% probability dating, plus an “intercept” dating, all of which placed the tested items between the mid-11th to late 13th centuries AD. One of the fragments tested was a piece of sinew from a damaged composite hand bow, resulting in the following dates: 95% probability 1040–1260 AD, 68 % probability 1165–1225 AD, intercept of radiocarbon age with calibration curve 1195 AD. This range of possible dates certainly does not contradict the identification of the most likely find site as the south-eastern tower of Qal c at al-Rahba. This fortress on the southern side of the Euphrates played a vital role on the Mamlūk Sultanate's frontier with Mongol-ruled Iraq and its often equally unneighbourly successors. While some of the smaller leath- er or rawhide items looked, in the eyes of the dealer's family, like “dog chews”, other objects were clearly identifiable and beautiful in their own right. They included this remarkable array of composite hand bows. Note that, having being unstrung for at least seven centuries, the bows are curved in the opposite direction from the shape they would have adopted when strung. The author’s photographs of these items in what I have called the “Euphrates Hoard” were taken in London, prior to their sale to the Qatar Museums Authority. (Author’s photograph; reportedly now in the National Museum store, Doha, Qatar).