: ''For other uses see
Javelin (disambiguation)''
'Javelin' (
Greek: ακόντιο,
Latin: verutum,
German: Wurfspeer,
French: javelot,
Spanish: jabalina,
Dutch: werpspeer,
Italian: giavellotto,
Hindi: bhala) is the name of a light
spear designed primarily for casting as a
ranged weapon. The javelin is almost always thrown by hand unlike the
arrow or
slingshot which are projectiles shot from a mechanism. However, hurling devices do exist to assist the thrower in achieving greater distance. The word javelin comes from
Middle English and it derives from
Old French ''javeline'' a diminutive of ''javelot'' which meant spear. The word ''javelot'' probably originated from the
Celtic language.
The difference between javelin and spear
The primary difference between a spear and a javelin lies in their intended use. Javelins were meant to be a ranged weapon thrown before the sides joined in hand to hand combat. A javelin, therefore, tends to be lighter, which makes it easier to throw but increases the odds of the weapon breaking, thereby all but eliminating its value in a melee.
The spear is usually heavier, with a thicker shaft and broader head, usually sharpened along the sides so that it can cause wounds even if the attacker fails to land the point in his enemy. A spearman would typically attack by thrusting the spear head at an enemy, but the heavy shaft could be used to strike a target in a manner like a club or a staff, though both these were less effective than thrusting, since the spears length and weight made it harder to wield in a non-stabbing manner, particularly in close formations.
History of the javelin and its use
Prehistory
There are archeological evidence that javelins and
throwing sticks were already in use during the last phase of the
lower Paleolithic. Seven spear-like objects were found in a coal mine in the city of
Schöningen, Germany. The weapons were
carbon dated to be about 400,000 years old. The excavated items were made of
spruce (Picea) trunk and measured between 1.82 and 2.25 meters. They were manufactured with the maximum thickness and weight situated at the front end of the wooden shaft. The frontal center of gravity suggests these pole weapons were used as javelins. Fossilized rhinoceros shoulder blade with a projectile wound, dated to 500,000 years ago, were revealed in a gravel quarry in the village of
Boxgrove, England. Studies revealed the wound was probably caused by a javelin.
[1] [2] [3]
Classical age
Agrianian Peltast. This Peltast holds three javelins, one in his throwing hand and two in his
Pelte hand as additional ammunition
The Javelin was a typical weapon for
light infantry or
light cavalry in
ancient Greek and
Roman warfare.
Ancient Greece
The
Peltasts, usually serving as a
skirmishers, were armed with several javelins, often with throwing straps to increase standoff power. The Peltasts hurled their javelins on the enemy heavier troops, the
Hoplite phalanx, in order to break their lines so their own army hoplites will come and destroy the weakened enemy formation. In the
battle of Lechaeum the
Athenian general
Iphicrates took advantage of the fact that a
Spartan hoplite phalanx operating near
Corinth was moving in the open field without the protection of any missile throwing troops. He decided to ambush it with his force of peltasts. By launching repeated hit-and-run attacks against the Spartan formation, Iphicrates and his men were able to wear the Spartans down, eventually routing them and killing just under half. This marked the first occasion in ancient Greece military history on which a force entirely made up of peltasts had defeated a force of hoplites.
The
Thureophoroi and
Thorakites who gradually replaced the Peltasts had javelins in addition to a long thrusting
spear and a
short sword.
----
Javelins were also used in the Olympics, then known as The Crown Games. They were hurled in a certain direction and whoever hurled it the farthest, won that game.
Rome
Republic and early empire
In 387 BC the
Gauls invaded
Italy, landed a crushing defeat to the
Roman Republican army and sacked Rome. After this defeat the Romans undertook a comprehensive reform in their army and changed the basic tactical formation from the Greek-like phalanx armed with the
hasta spear and and the
clipeus round shield to a more flexible three line formation. The
Hastati stood on the first line, the
Principes in the second line and the
Triarii at the third line. While the Triarii were still armed with the hasta the Hastati and the Principes were rearmed with short swords and heavy javelins. Each soldier from the Hastati and Principes lines received two javelins. This heavy javelin, know as
Pilum (plural ''pila'') was about two meters long overall, consisting of an
iron shank about 7 mm in diameter and 60 cm long with pyramidal head. The iron shank may be socketed or more usually widens to a flat tang, this was secured to a wooden shaft. A pilum usually weighed between two and four kilograms, with the versions produced during the
Empire being a bit lighter. Pictorial evidence suggest that some versions of the weapon were weighted by a
lead ball to increase penetrative power, but no archeological specimens have been found.
[4] Recent experiments have shown pila to have a range of about 30 metres, although the effective range is only about 15 to 20 metres. Pila were sometimes referred to as javelins in general but the archaic term for the javelin was
verutum.
From the third century BC the Roman legion adds a skirmisher type of soldier to its tactical formation. The
Velites were light infantry armed with a
Gladius or
Pugio, a small round shield and several small javelin 'which were not Pila'. These javelins were called Veruta (Verutum in singular) . The Velites used to draw near the enemy, hurl javelins against its formation and then retreat behind the legion's heavier infantry. The Velites were considered highly effective in turning back
war elephants, on account of discharging a hail of javelins at some range and not presenting a "block" which could be trampled on or otherwise smashed - unlike the close order infantry behind them. At the
Battle of Zama in 202 BC the javelin throwing Velites proved their worth, and were no doubt critical in helping to herd Hannibal's war elephants through the formation to be slaughtered. The Velites would slowly have been either disbanded or re-equipped as more-heavily armed legionaries from the time when
Gaius Marius and other Roman generals reorganised the army in the late second and early first centuries BC. Their role would most likely have been taken by irregular auxiliary troops as the Republic expanded overseas.
The
Verutum was a cheaper missile weapon than the Pilum. The Verutum was a short distance javelin. The head of the javelin is made of soft iron, simply made.
Legionaries of the Late
Republic and Early Empire often carried two pila, with one sometimes being lighter than the other. Standard tactics called for a Roman soldier to throw his pilum (both if there was time) at the enemy just before charging to engage with his
gladius. Some pila had small hand-guards, to protect the wielder if he intended to use it as a melee weapon, but it does not appear that this was common.
Late Empire
In the late Roman empire the Roman infantry came to use a differently shaped javelin than the earlier
Pilum. This javelin was lighter and had a greater range. Called a plumbata, it resembled a thick stocky arrow, fletched with leather vanes to provide stability and rotation in flight (which increased accuracy). To overcome it's comparatively small mass, the plumbata was fitted with an oval-shaped lead weight socketed around the shaft just forward of the centre of balance. Even so, plumbata were much lighter than pilum, and would not have had the armour penetration or shield transfixing capabilities of their earlier counterparts.
Two or three plumbata were typically clipped to a small wooden bracket on the inside of the large oval or round shields used at the time. Massed troops would unclip and hurl plumbata as the enemy neared, hopefully stalling their movement and morale by making them clump together and huddle under their shields. With the enemy deprived of rapid movement and their visibility impaired by their own raised shields, the Roman troops were then better placed to exploit the tactical situation. It is unlikely plumbata were viewed by the Romans as the killing blow, but more as a means of stalling the enemy at ranges greater than previously provided by the heavier and shorter ranged pilum.
Gaul
The Gallic cavalry used to hurl several javelins volleys to soften the enemy before a frontal attack. The Gallic cavalry used their javelins in a tactic similar to that of
horse archers
Parthian shot. The Gauls knew how to turn on horseback to throw javelins backwards while advancing forward.
Iberia
The Hispanic cavalry was a light cavalry armed with a
Falcata and several light javelins. The
Cantabri tribes invented a military tactic to maximize the advantages of the combination between horse and javelin. In this tactic the horsemen rode around in circles, toward and away from the enemy, continually hurling javelins. The tactic was usually employed against heavy infantry. The constant movement of the horsemen gave them an advantage against slow infantry and made them hard to target. The maneuver was designed to harass and taunt the enemy forces, disrupting close formations. This was commonly used against enemy infantry, especially heavily armed and slow moving legions of the Romans. This tactic came to be know as the
Cantabrian circle. In the late Republic various auxiliary cavalry completely replaced the Italian cavalry contingents and the Hispanic auxiliary cavalry was considered the best.
Carthage
The
Numidians were indigenous tribes of
northwest Africa. The
Numidian cavalry was a light cavalry usually operating as skirmishers. The Numidian horseman was armed with a small shield and several javelins. The Numidians had a reputation as swift horsemen, cunning soldiers and excellent javelin throwers. It is said that
Jugurtha, the Numidian king "...took part in the national pursuits of riding, javelin throwing and competed with other young men in running." [Sallust The Jugurthine War: 6]. The Numidian Cavalry served as mercenaries in the
Carthaginian army and played a key role in assisting
Hannibal during the
Second Punic War.
Middle ages
Norman cavalry armed with lances attacks the Anglo-Saxon shield wall. Notice the dominance of the spearmen in the front line of the formation. In the back of the formation there is one warrior armed with an battle-axe, one archer and one javelinman. There are Javelins in mid-flight and slain soldiers pierced with javelins on the ground
Norsemen
Viking
Normans
Anglo-Saxons
In the
Anglo-Saxon warfare soldiers usually formed a
shield wall and used heavy weapons like
Danish axes, swords, and spears. Javelins were used as an offensive weapon from behind the shield wall or by warriors that left the protective formation and attacked the enemy as skirmishers.
Spain
The
Almogavars were a class of
Aragonese infantrymen armed with a short sword, a shield and two heavy javelins, known as
assegai. The equipment resembled that of a Roman legionary and the use of the heavy javelins was much the same.
The
Jinetes were Spanish light horsemen armed with a javelin, sword and a shield. This troop type developed in the Middle Ages in response to the massed light cavalry of the Moors. Often fielded in significant numbers by the Spanish, and at times the most numerous of the Spanish mounted troops, they were proficient at skirmishing and rapid maneuver, and played an important role in Spanish mounted warfare throughout the Reconquista until the sixteenth century.
Muslim world
Turkish
Kharijites
Almoravid
Almohades
Modern age
Africa
The only known drawing of Shaka. Notice the long throwing assegai
Many
African tribes used the javelin as their main weapon. The typical
African warfare was based on a ritualized stand-off encounters involving throwing javelins without advancing for close combat. In the flag of
Swaziland there is a shield and two javelins, which symbolize the protection from the country's enemies.
Zulu
The
Zulu warriors used a long version of the assegai javelin as their primary weapon since the middle ages when it was imported from the Iberian peninsula into Africa. The Zulu legendary leader
Shaka initiated
military reforms in which a short stabbing spear, with a long, swordlike spearhead named
iklwa had become the Zulu warrior main weapon and was used as a
mêlée weapon. The assegai was not discarded, but was used for an initial missile attack. With the larger shields, introduced by Shaka to the Zulu army, the short spears used as stabbing swords and the opening phase of javelin attack the zulu regiments were quite similar to the Roman legion with its
Scutum,
Gladius and Pilum tactical combination.
Mythology
Mythological Javelins
★
Spear of Destiny - The spear that pierced the side of
Jesus was either the
Pilum or the
Lancea.
★
Gungnir - The javelin of
Odin, famous god in
Norse mythology.
★
Gáe Bulg - The javelin of
Cúchulainn, hero in
Irish mythology.
★
Vel - The javelin of
Murugan, the most popular
Hindu deity amongst the
Tamil people.
Mythological javelin throwing soldiers
Greek mythology
The
Apollonian Guard of the
Trojan army were light cavalry unit which was renowned for its javelin throwing capablilities.
Norse mythology
Recreational javelin throw
List of javelins
★ 'Angon'
★ 'Assegai'
★ 'Ballam'
★ 'Bandang'
★ 'Bhala'
★ 'Bilari'
★ 'Budiak'
★ 'Cateia'
★ 'Chimbane'
★ 'Cirit'
★ 'Contus'
★ 'Do-War'
★ 'Egchos'
★ 'Enhero'
★ 'Fal-feg'
★ 'Falarica'
★ 'Framea'
★ 'Ger'
★ 'Gaesum
★ 'Gravo'
★ 'Golo'
★ 'Granggang'
★ 'Hak'
★ 'Hinyan'
★ 'Hoko'
★ 'Huata'
★ 'Irpull'
★ 'Ja-Mandehi'
★ 'Jaculum'
★ 'Jarid'
★ 'Javelin'
★ 'Jiboru'
★ 'Kasita' |
★ 'Kan-Shoka'
★ 'Kannai'
★ 'Koyuan'
★ 'Kujolio'
★ 'Kuyan'
★ 'Laange'
★ 'Lancea'
★ 'Lance-Ague'
★ 'Lanza'
★ 'Lama-pe'
★ 'Leister'
★ 'Mahee'
★ 'Makrigga'
★ 'Makura Yari'
★ 'Mandehi liguje'
★ 'Máo' (矛)
★ 'Mkukt'
★ 'Mongile'
★ 'Mongoli'
★ 'Mu-Rongal'
★ 'Nage-Yari'
★ 'Nandum'
★ 'Nerau'
★ 'One flue harpoon'
★ 'Paralyser'
★ 'Patisthanaya'
★ 'Pelta'
★ 'Pill'
★ 'Pillara'
★ 'Pilum'
★ 'Plumbatae'
★ 'Sang' |
★ 'Sangkoh'
★ 'Sanokat'
★ 'Saunion'
★ 'Shail'
★ 'Shanen kopaton'
★ 'Siligis'
★ 'Short spear' (or common spear)
★ 'Simbilan'
★ 'Sinan'
★ 'Sligi'
★ 'Soliferrum'
★ 'Spiculum'
★ 'Sudanese lance'
★ 'Tahr Ruan'
★ 'Tao'
★ 'Tawok'
★ 'Telempang'
★ 'Vel'
★ 'Te yari'
★ 'Tirrer'
★ 'Tjunkuletti'
★ 'Toggling harpoon'
★ 'Tombak'
★ 'Tschehouta'
★ 'Tumpuling'
★ 'Two flue harpoon'
★ 'Verutum'
★ 'Wainian'
★ 'Wallunka'
★ 'Wi-Valli'
★ 'Zagaye' |
See also
★
Pole weapon
★
Ranged weapon
★
Spear
★
Javelin throw
Notes
1. http://www.michael-warzitz.de/speere/projekt/home_projekt.asp#menschheit
2. http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prehistoric/past/past26.html
3. http://www.archaeology.org/9705/newsbriefs/spears.html
4. Connolly, 1998, p. 233.
Further reading
★ Anglim, Simon et al., (2003), Fighting Techniques of the Ancient World (3000 B.C. to 500 A.D.): Equipment, Combat Skills, and Tactics, Thomas Dunne Books.
★ Bennett, Matthew et al., (2005), Fighting Techniques of the Medieval World: Equipment, Combat Skills and Tactics, Thomas Dunne Books.
★ Connolly, Peter , (2006), Greece and Rome at War, Greenhill Books, 2nd edition.
★ Jorgensen, rister et al., (2006), Fighting Techniques of the Early Modern World: Equipment, Combat Skills, and Tactics, Thomas Dunne Books.
★ Saunders, J. J., (1972), A History of Medieval Islam, Routledge.
★ Warry, John Gibson, (1995), Warfare in the Classical World: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Weapons, Warriors and Warfare in the Ancient Civilisations of Greece and Rome, University of Oklahoma Press.
External links
★
Picture of a Thracian Peltast with one javelin in his throwing hand and four javelins in his Pelte hand as additional ammunition
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