Ближний Восток и его соседи

g 189 h Archaeological Evidence for Mamlūk Archery 65. Unless a bowstring is found complete or a piece of string has a suitably strong loop at one end and is also found in a potentially “military” context, it is impossible to state that a particular fragment of string comes from, or was intended to be used for, a bowstring. Nevertheless, amongst the variety of pieces of string or cord which were found in the “junk” of a one-time arsenal workshop in building CD5 of the Citadel of Damascus, one thickness predominated. (Syrian Department of Antiquities; IFPO photograph). 66. When an example of this thickness of string was placed inside a typical nock of a typical fragment of arrow, it fitted snugly. So much so that the very slight narrowing at the rear of the nock held the string — or perhaps one should say that the string held the nock — just as was supposed to happen according to archery experts, medieval and modern. (Syrian Department of Antiquities; author’s photograph).