Mongolische Pfeilköcher des Mittelalters

Abstract

From the Early Middle Ages, trapezoidal tube quivers made of timber, bark or leather were the standard means of transport for Mongol arrows. Containers of this type had been known in Eurasia since the late Hunnish period. Arrow shafts were transported with their heads pointing up. Quivers of Mongol origin either had fanned-out collars or hood-shaped ones and, during the High Middle Ages, keyhole type openings. Side doors mark the highest point in their functional development. The design of Mongol quivers and those from Western Eurasia was often similar, probably because prototypes of Eastern weapons were passed on during the process of acculturation and along trade routes. On the whole trapezoidal quivers from the time of the Mongol empire seem to have increased their perceived value as compared to earlier types. During the High Middle Ages, Mongolians began to use open bags in which arrows were aligned in rows with the heads pointing down. These flat arrow bags were an older reinnovation that occurred at the beginning of the Early Middle Ages in the Sino-Korean region. Through the agency of Mongol tribes they became very popular, particularly in the Orient. At first tube quivers and arrow bags co-existed. However, arrow bags had an ergonomic advantage, facilitating more flexible use for the rider. In Mongolia they eventually all but replaced the more unwieldy tube quivers.