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Encyclopedia ID 1367

Crossbow Target Match

Also known as Balestra sammarinese · balestra

Crossbow Target Match: photograph by Wellcome Collection (generic crossbow-target etching; no San Marino photo found)
Photo: Wellcome Collection (generic crossbow-target etching; no San Marino photo found), CC BY 4.0, source on Wikimedia Commons

Wind the crossbow, steady the sight against wind and wobble, and loose one bolt per round at a distant bullseye in a head-to-head match.

Heritage note

Part of the living heritage of Italy, San Marino. It is presented as sport and skill, never as real fighting.

Origins

Usually placed in the era of Modern Heritage (1800 to today), although its exact origins are uncertain, within the cultural world of Mediterranean.

Sources

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