Reconsidering the Views of John Derek Latham in the Article “The Archers of the Middle East: The Turco-Iranian Background”

Document Type : Research Article

Author

Hossein Shakiba Amjad

PhD Candidate, Department of History and Civilization of Muslim Nations, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

10.22067/jhistory.2026.98347.1442

Abstract

John Derek Latham (1927–2005) is a late British linguist and Orientalist and considered among the pioneers of research in the field of social history of warfare. His well-known work in this field is entitled Saracen Archery, which is an English translation and interpretation of an Arabic treatise on archery. Latham has also published several articles on this subject, including “The Archers of the Middle East: The Turco-Iranian Background,” published in 1970. The present study aims to review the content of this article and examine Latham’s views on a neglected aspect of the history of the East. On the one hand, Latham argues that Muslims developed a credible educational system for the instruction of archery skills. This system not only drew upon a rich body of Persian terminology but also derived prestige from the reputation of the Sāsānīan kings in the art of archery. On the other hand, it is argued that archers from the Iranian cultural sphere came to be recognized as some of the system’s most renowned and distinctive masters. A further aim of Latham’s study was to identify evidence of comparable Turkish influences on the archery techniques and practices of Muslims.

Keywords

Archery Treatises

Persian Archery

Turkish Archery

Furūsiyya

Social History of Warfare

Criticism of Orientalists

Subjects

• History of Islamic culture

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