ON THE SOCALLED BOW-PULLER OF ANTIQUITY. 149 



which occurs 011 others. For the same purpose were pos- 

 sibly three other double rings the peculiarity of which is 

 that they have three small points." Gozzadini figures 

 two of these objects which are reproduced on Plate V, 

 Figs. 20, 21. 



Friederichs, in his catalogue of bronzes in the Berlin 

 Museum, protests against the usual interpretation of the 

 use of this object without, however, offering any Sugges- 

 tion as to its possible character. He says, " As a founda- 

 tion for the common acceptation that the implements here 

 catalogued should have served the purpose of pulling the 

 bow Ihave been able to find only one Observation, namely 

 of Tommsen who has rendered good Service in the sphero 

 of northern Archaeology . According to his statement these 

 objects have been found together with bows in the caves of 

 northern nations. However, this circumstance is not suf- 

 ficient to confirm the supposed purpose, all the more as it 

 is absolutely impossible to understand how this implement 

 is to be used ; particularly those having five points (for 

 they have been found with three, four and five points) are 

 entirely inexplicable from this point of view. In Naples 

 the implements are exhibited among articles pertaining to 

 harness, but I cannot specify how and where they should 

 have been applied. They have also been explained as 

 weapons for hurling against cavalry, for which purpose, 

 however, the points are partly too broad, partly too thick 

 and stout. Finally I will give the opinion of a technical 

 friend whose explanation is that they are a kind of screw- 

 driver." Friederichs further adds that these implements 

 are of classic as well as of barbaric origin. 



As a practical archer my attention was immediately ar- 

 rested by this object — the first one I ever saw — in the An- 

 tiquarian Museum at Zürich. The curator kindly allowed 

 me to examine it, and I was soon convinced that it had 



ESSKX INST. BULLETIN, VOL. XXVI 19* 



