this post was submitted on 02 Apr 2025
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[–] [email protected] 27 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Archers also didn't usually shoot upwards to arc their shots. It loses power, reduces accuracy, and makes it more likely for them to hit armor, not less.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 4 days ago (1 children)

If they're using indirect fire they certainly would. Such as shooting over friendly formations.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Guess what you also didn't usually do?

It's not that it never happened, but generally speaking it was a bad idea. You'd only get archers using indirect fire at long ranges.

There are however accounts of infantry kneeling so the archers can fire over them. Otherwise archers would be employed in skirmish lines in front of the main formations and then fall back into the main body as the lines approached.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 4 days ago

There's only one way to solve this, you both need to shoot arrows at each other.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Yeah, but raining thousands of arrows on to an approaching army is intimidating as fuck

[–] [email protected] 15 points 4 days ago (3 children)

That’s a pretty expensive war you got there

[–] [email protected] 9 points 4 days ago

Wars do be like that.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 days ago

Just need to fill a boat with straw figures.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago

Just need a supply train of camels to keep your archers stocked

contexthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Carrhae