<P> To load an arrow for shooting (nocking an arrow), the archer places an arrow across the middle of the bow with the bowstring in the arrow's nock . To shoot, the archer pulls back (draws) the arrow, which also pulls the bowstring and flexes the bow limbs, storing elastic energy . Typically, the archer sights along the arrow to aim it . Finally the archer releases (looses) the arrow, allowing the limbs' stored potential energy to convert into kinetic energy, which is transmitted via the bowstring to the arrow, propelling it to fly forward with high velocity . </P> <P> A container or bag for additional arrows for quick reloading is called a quiver . </P> <P> When not in use, bows are generally kept unstrung, meaning one or both ends of the bowstring are detached from the bow . This removes all residual tension on the bow, and can help prevent it from losing strength or elasticity over time . For many bow designs, this also lets it straighten out more completely, reducing the space needed to store the bow . Returning the bowstring to its ready - to - use position is called stringing the bow . </P> <P> The bow and arrow appears around the transition from the Upper Paleolithic to the Mesolithic . At the site of Nataruk in Turkana County, Kenya, obsidian bladelets found embedded in a skull and within the thoracic cavity of another skeleton, suggest the use of stone - tipped arrows as weapons . After the end of the last glacial period, use of the bow seems to have spread to every inhabited continent, including the Western Hemisphere, except for Australia . </P>

Where did the bow and arrow come from