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ANCIENT WEAPONRY -- Part I
By : M.R.Sethi
Throwing
Weapons
The spear and its varieties
The spear, a long pole, made of wood or bamboo, and later of metal,
with a sharp point attached to it, was a primitive throwing weapon
used in almost all over the world. The epics and martial histories
of every culture describe spears. The spear has lasted till the
modern time and also had a role in fishing and hunting. Some tribes
still practice fish spearing.
Homer’s epic Iliad makes a reference to Achilles’ spear. He was
famed for throwing the spear with great force and accuracy. The
spear of Achilles was made from the ash tree at Mount Pelion.
Achilles killed Hector with this spear. Milton, in his epic Paradise
Lost refers to Satan’s spear which was as long as a pine tree.
The spear evolved into a number of similar throwing weapons – the
angon, javelins, pikes and lances.
The javelin was used for warfare as well as sport – javelin throwing
is still a major athletic event.
The angon was the Frankish and Anglo-Saxon throwing spear of the
late Antiquity that continued to be used in the Dark Ages. The angon
was roughly six feet long with a long slender iron neck and barbed
head. It was identical to the Roman pilum.
The pilum (plural pila) was a kind of javelin used by the Roman army
in ancient times. It was generally about two meters long, including
an iron shank about 7 mm in diameter and 60 cm long with a sharp
triangular head. A pilum usually weighed between two and five
kilograms. The pilum was an anti-shield weapon, meant to stick in
enemy shields and way them down.
Flavius Vegetius Renatus, a Roman military expert and writer, in his
work De Re Militari (Latin "Concerning Military Matters"), a
treatise of Roman warfare and military principles, wrote (in Book
I): “They had likewise two other javelins, the largest of which was
composed of a staff five feet and a half long and a triangular head
of iron nine inches (229 mm) long. This was formerly called the
pilum, but now it is known by the name of spiculum. The soldiers
were particularly exercised in the use of this weapon…..”
The pike was a very long thrusting spear used two-handed and used
extensively by infantry, both for attacks on enemy foot soldiers and
as a counter-measure against cavalry assaults. However, unlike many
similar weapons, the pike was not intended to be thrown. Pikes were
used by European troops from the early Middle Ages until around
1700.
Lance. The most common evolution of the spear is the lance. In the
beginning it was just a long spear (about nine feet) but became
progressively longer and heavier and came to be the favorite weapon
of the man-at-arms. The lances were used in both jousting and
mounted warfare.
Glaive – The Glaive was about seven feet long pole with a
broad-bladed, single-edged knife attached to it.
Other Throwing Weapons
Sling: The sling has existed since ancient times. It is immortalized
in the Old Testament story of young David, who conquered the giant
Goliath with this type of throwing weapon. The sling consists of a
strap used to whirl and hurl a stone. It is different from a
slingshot, which is a y-shaped stick with a strap that can fling
small stones The sling is mentioned in Hamlet’s immortal words from
Shakespeare’s play of that name: “To be or not to be: that is the
question:/Whether it is nobler in the mind to suffer / The slings
and arrows of outrageous fortune …..
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