Changes
Bows
,It appears that nocks with horn inserts or separately attached horn nocks were not used on self-bows in the Viking Age period. Mary Rose?
Finds of separate nocks have been found, such as the bone example from the C7th grave at Bad Cannstadt in Germany, but these have been identified as coming from a composite bow [Hörnig Hoernig 2005: p.119].
====Stringing nocks and string keepers====
=== Bow Strings ===
These were probably made from hemp, linen or silk. The evidence seems to point at hemp being the most commonly used material (Halpin 2008, p.61). Bow strings were usually 3 to 4mm thick and made from 3 ply twine (Altdorf, Switzerland [Hörnig Hoernig 2005: p.110])<br>
Wincott Heckett has suggested that a tablet-woven tubular silk cord, dated to mid C12th, from Waterford may be a bowstring. [Halpin 2008: p.61] Halpin then quotes Soar who suggests that the most common material for bow strings was hemp. In York, England, a lump of beeswax was found with a groove possibly caused by rubbing against a thread or string. Walton-Rogers comments that beeswax was often used on bow strings [Walton Rogers 1997: p.1785]
