Quote Originally Posted by Michaelis
Sure, sure. This is why the English abandoned the bow sometime in the early Middle Ages and introduced a new type of ranged attack infantry - Brawny Slingers.

Dream on.
Longbows, and also composite bows and crossbows, offer a different set of advantages and are certainly not comparable with standard bows in use in EBs timeframe and in most of Western Europe throughout the Middle Ages. Technology changed and improved bows, and slings went out of fashion.

Stones could be slung with a higher velocity and with greater weight than arrows could be fired at the time. Try imagining having a half-kilo weight slung at you: whatever armour you're wearing, that's going to hurt.

Dream on, indeed.