i’d also say there’s a difference between people making notches in a stick and tying a piece of string to it, and actually carving a bow and drying it.
Anyone can come up with the idea for and build a simple bow to test their idea, but figuring out how to make a proper bow takes iteration and is an investment.
They rely on artifacts and art. So yeah, it’s quite possible the bow was invented earlier, probably a bunch of times in a bunch of places.
People are smart, but we’re smart in pretty regular and repeatable ways.
i’d also say there’s a difference between people making notches in a stick and tying a piece of string to it, and actually carving a bow and drying it.
Anyone can come up with the idea for and build a simple bow to test their idea, but figuring out how to make a proper bow takes iteration and is an investment.