DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.13855#0208
HA ST A.
200
HASTA.
stripped of its bark and polished. The bottom
of the spear was often inclosed in a pointed
cap of bronze, called by the Ionic writers
travpuiTTjp and oupia^o!, and in Attic or com-
mon Greek o-ropaf. P,y forcing this into the
ground the spear was fixed erect. Many
of the lancers who accompanied the king of
Persia, had, instead of this spike at the bottom
of their spears, an apple or a pomegranate,
either gilt or silvered. Fig. 1. in the an-
nexed woodcut shows the top and bottom of
a spear, which is held by one of the king's
guards in the sculptures at Persepolis. The
spear was used as a weapon of attack in three
different ways:—1. It was thrown from
catapults and other engines [Tormentum].
2. It was thrust forward as a pike. 3. It
Hastae, spears.
was commonly thrown by the hand. The
spear frequently had a leathern thong tied
to the middle of the shaft, which was called
iyKvk-q by the Greeks, and amentum by the
Romans, and which was of assistance in
throwing the spear. The annexed figure
represents the amentum attached to the spear
at the centre of gravity, a little above the
middle. Under the general terms hasta and
ey\o; were included various kinds of missiles, of
which the principal were as follow :—Lancea
(Adyxr;), the lance, a comparatively slender
spear commonly used by the Greek horsemen,
The appendage shown in woodcut, Fig. 2,
enabled them to mount their horses with
greater facility.—Pilum (vao-d;), the javelin,
much thicker and stronger than the Grecian
lance. Its shaft, often made of cornel, was
4§ feet (three cubits) long, and the barbed
iron head was of the same length, but this
extended half way down the shaft, to which
it was attached with extreme care, so that
the whole length of the weapon was about
6
Hasta with Amentum. (From a Painting on a Vase.)
G feet 9 inches. It was used either to throw
or to thrust with ; it was peculiar to the
Romans, and gave the name of pilani to the
division of the army by which it was adopted.
—Whilst the heavy-armed Roman soldiers bore
the long lance and the thick and ponderous
javelin, the light-armed used smaller missiles,
which, though of different kinds, were in-
cluded under the general term hast a e relit ares
(ypdo-<poi). The ypdcr</>o? was a dart, with a
shaft about three feet long and an inch in
thickness : the iron head was a span long,
and so thin and acuminated as to be bent by
striking against anything, and thus rendered
unfit to be sent hack against the enemy.
Fig. 3, in the preceding woodcut, shows one
which was found in a Roman entrenchment
in Gloucestershire.—The light infantry of the
Roman army used a similar weapon, called
a spit [veru, verutum; a-avviov). It was
adopted by them from the Samnites and the
Volsci. Its shaft was 3 J feet long, its point
5 inches. Fig. 4, in the preceding woodcut,
represents the head of a dart in the Royal
Collection at Naples ; it may be taken as a
specimen of the rerutum, and may be con-
trasted with fig. 5, which is the head of a
lance in the same collection.—The Romans
adopted in like manner the gaesum, which
was properly a Celtic weapon ; it was given
as a reward to any soldier who wounded an
enemy. [Gaesum.]—Spat us is evidently the
same word with the English spar and spear.
It was the rudest missile of the whole class.
—Besides the terms jaculum and spiculum
(miov, o-kovtiov}, which probably denoted
200
HASTA.
stripped of its bark and polished. The bottom
of the spear was often inclosed in a pointed
cap of bronze, called by the Ionic writers
travpuiTTjp and oupia^o!, and in Attic or com-
mon Greek o-ropaf. P,y forcing this into the
ground the spear was fixed erect. Many
of the lancers who accompanied the king of
Persia, had, instead of this spike at the bottom
of their spears, an apple or a pomegranate,
either gilt or silvered. Fig. 1. in the an-
nexed woodcut shows the top and bottom of
a spear, which is held by one of the king's
guards in the sculptures at Persepolis. The
spear was used as a weapon of attack in three
different ways:—1. It was thrown from
catapults and other engines [Tormentum].
2. It was thrust forward as a pike. 3. It
Hastae, spears.
was commonly thrown by the hand. The
spear frequently had a leathern thong tied
to the middle of the shaft, which was called
iyKvk-q by the Greeks, and amentum by the
Romans, and which was of assistance in
throwing the spear. The annexed figure
represents the amentum attached to the spear
at the centre of gravity, a little above the
middle. Under the general terms hasta and
ey\o; were included various kinds of missiles, of
which the principal were as follow :—Lancea
(Adyxr;), the lance, a comparatively slender
spear commonly used by the Greek horsemen,
The appendage shown in woodcut, Fig. 2,
enabled them to mount their horses with
greater facility.—Pilum (vao-d;), the javelin,
much thicker and stronger than the Grecian
lance. Its shaft, often made of cornel, was
4§ feet (three cubits) long, and the barbed
iron head was of the same length, but this
extended half way down the shaft, to which
it was attached with extreme care, so that
the whole length of the weapon was about
6
Hasta with Amentum. (From a Painting on a Vase.)
G feet 9 inches. It was used either to throw
or to thrust with ; it was peculiar to the
Romans, and gave the name of pilani to the
division of the army by which it was adopted.
—Whilst the heavy-armed Roman soldiers bore
the long lance and the thick and ponderous
javelin, the light-armed used smaller missiles,
which, though of different kinds, were in-
cluded under the general term hast a e relit ares
(ypdo-<poi). The ypdcr</>o? was a dart, with a
shaft about three feet long and an inch in
thickness : the iron head was a span long,
and so thin and acuminated as to be bent by
striking against anything, and thus rendered
unfit to be sent hack against the enemy.
Fig. 3, in the preceding woodcut, shows one
which was found in a Roman entrenchment
in Gloucestershire.—The light infantry of the
Roman army used a similar weapon, called
a spit [veru, verutum; a-avviov). It was
adopted by them from the Samnites and the
Volsci. Its shaft was 3 J feet long, its point
5 inches. Fig. 4, in the preceding woodcut,
represents the head of a dart in the Royal
Collection at Naples ; it may be taken as a
specimen of the rerutum, and may be con-
trasted with fig. 5, which is the head of a
lance in the same collection.—The Romans
adopted in like manner the gaesum, which
was properly a Celtic weapon ; it was given
as a reward to any soldier who wounded an
enemy. [Gaesum.]—Spat us is evidently the
same word with the English spar and spear.
It was the rudest missile of the whole class.
—Besides the terms jaculum and spiculum
(miov, o-kovtiov}, which probably denoted