Weapons are part of the material culture. A bow remained the main weapon for several thousand years: it was easy to make, carry and handle and had great destructive power and range.

Bows could be simple or composite, that is, assembled from several parts and combining different types of wood. Bow strings were made from tendons, rawhide or catgut. The string could always be removed from the bow so that during breaks in using it, the bow did not bend too much and lose its quality. For convenience and safety, the bow was worn on a waist belt or in a quiver on a shoulder belt.

Arrows were usually made from pine, spruce or birch. Their length was from 75 to 90 centimeters. The surface of the arrow shaft had to be flat and smooth so that the archer would not injure his hand. The shafts were processed using bone drawknives and polished with sandstone bars.

Arrowheads were placed on the shaft in two ways — either put on the tip or inserted into it. The Udmurts often fletched an arrow with two feathers — they were selected so that the natural bend was oriented in one direction and imparted a natural spin on the arrow. In this case, the flight of the arrow was stabilized but still deviated slightly in the direction where the bend of the feather was oriented — an archer should always have taken this into account.

Arrowheads are divided into categories depending on the purpose. Double-barbed arrowheads were designed to cause maximum damage and were difficult to remove from the body without causing further injury. They could also be used in fire arrows: the barbs clung to roofs and did not slip off.

Arrows with wide cutting heads were called broadheads. In battle, they were used against warriors and horses and caused severe bleeding. Narrow, massive armor-piercing bodkin points could have various special shapes: awl-shaped ones were used against chain mail or chisel-shaped and steel-cut against plate armor, shields and helmets.

Archers carried arrows in a set of up to 20 pieces in a separate case — a quiver — with the fletching up or down. The Russian word “kolchan” for quiver has Tatar origin; the Slavs also called the case for arrows “tul”, which meant “container, shelter”. The quiver was worn either on the right side, on a belt or thrown over the shoulder. Exploration of the burials of the Chepetsk archaeological culture revealed extant hooks and clasps from quivers.