36. The Mongols’ Main Weapon Gave Them an Edge
Another advantage enjoyed by Mongols and other Steppe nomads was their preferred weapon, the recurved composite bow. The Steppe bow was an ingenious marvel that combined animal horn on one side for compression, and elastic sinew on the other for tension, allowing it to store a to store a significant amount of energy in a relatively compact weapon that could be used from horseback. It could pack a greater punch and shoot further than simpler wooden stave bows. That created tactical mismatches that often gave Steppe warriors a standoff distance from which to kill in relative safety. Steppe nomads could thus attrit less mobile armies with arrows until they were weakened and demoralized, before swooping in to finish them off.