Q 01/05

The word 'archery' comes from the Latin 'arcus', meaning what?

A) Arrow

B) Bow

C) Target

D) Arch

Answer · why

B) Bow

A person who practises it is an archer, bowman or, more grandly, a toxophilite.

Q 02/05

What is the container that archers have traditionally used to carry their arrows called?

A) Sheath

B) Scabbard

C) Holster

D) Quiver

Answer · why

D) Quiver

It can take many forms, worn on the back, hip or even attached to the bow.

Q 03/05

The oldest known evidence of arrows, dating back 60,000 to 72,000 years, was found in which country?

A) Germany

B) South Africa

C) Ancient Egypt

D) Northern China

Answer · why

B) South Africa

Bone and stone arrowheads came from sites such as Sibudu Cave; the oldest complete bows come from a swamp in Denmark.

Q 04/05

Which nomadic people are thought to have invented the composite bow and horse archery?

A) The Huns

B) The Parthians

C) The Mongols

D) The Scythians

Answer · why

D) The Scythians

Short, powerful composite bows suited the steppe; the Han Chinese called their Xiongnu neighbours 'Those Who Draw the Bow'.

Q 05/05

The ancient Egyptians called Nubia 'Ta-Seti', which translates as what?

A) The Land of the Bow

B) The Land of Gold

C) The Land of Sand

D) The Land of Kings

Answer · why

A) The Land of the Bow

Nubians were renowned archers, and by the 16th century BC the Egyptians themselves were using composite bows in war.