The Holmegaard Bows were discovered in Denmark and were made around 9200 years ago.  There is a common misconception that the bows found near Holmegaard have a distinct shoulder and long, stiff, narrow tips.  In reality, this design was attested in artefacts recovered from Tybrind Vig, a shallow marine site off the Danish coast, and has been dated as more than 2000 years younger than the true Holmegaard examples.

     The true Holmegaard bows were made from a sapling of elm, and carved while the wood was still green.  They were then dried, and tillered to their final shape.  The back of the bow was highly crowned as it was simply the outer surface of the sapling with the bark removed.  The belly was flat and the limbs tapered in width and thickness towards the tips, coming to a point, without any discernable nocks.  One of the artefacts, of which only half was found, did have slight shoulders on the limb, but the entire limb would still have bent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Both types of bow have been faithfully replicated to create functional and beautiful bows.  The example above, over 70 inches long in total, is estimated to have pulled around 80 to 90lbs at full draw, which has been corroborated by the reproductions.  I am happy to build your mesolithic Danish style bow to your personal requirements.  You can have a close replica, with similar dimensions and materials, or you can have distinct shoulders and stiff lever tips in the Tybrind Vig style, or any of numerous other options, such as backing with fibrous materials, customised handles and adding various kinds of string nocks, for example.