Archery is usually thought to have been created around 10,000 years ago, during the transition from the Upper Paleolithic (called the Late Stone Age) to the Mesolithic period.¹⁾

The oldest known archery items unearthed in Europe are from the late Paleolithic period, which lasted between 11,000 and 9,000 years ago. The items were discovered at Stellmoor in the Ahrensburg valley, which is located to the north of Hamburg, Germany. ²⁾

In 1940, two of the oldest known bows were discovered in Denmark's Holmegrd wetland. The bows were discovered 8,000 years ago. They were built of elm and had flat arms and a D-shaped center. The middle of the bows is biconvex. ³⁾