Stringed instruments can be played in 3 different ways; plucking, bowing, or striking.  You would pluck a Lute , Oud, or Harp, and bow a Rebec or Violin. Instruments like a hammer dulcimer or a piano are struck with a hammer.  Some string inurnments can be bowed or plucked.
The Rebec was one of the earliest bowed instruments. It was introduced to Europe in early medieval times. The Rebec was fashioned from a single, solid block of timber and was always played vertically being positioned on or between the knees
The Lute appeared in Europe during the fourteenth century and by the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries it had become one of the most important European instruments. The Lute is most recognizable because of its heavily angled pegboard.